Superhero
by BroodyGirl23
Summary: Silence is the most powerful scream." JaSam future fic.
1. Chapter 1

_I shouldn't be starting a new fic, but don't worry, i'm still going to be updating Prosperity Street regularly. This fic is dedicated to Bryan Topher, who helped me come up with a lot of the background for it, and also to Liv, because she loves Jason more than anyone else i know. Okay, so this fic takes place in the future, a little more than 10 years after the present time. That's all i think you need to know for now. Oh, and I know this chapter doesn't really have much Sam or Jason, but I swear this is a JaSam fic and it'll mostly be centered on them. I promise. I just need to set it up first, haha. Hope you all enjoy!  
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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

_Silence is the most powerful scream.  
_

-x-x-x-

It was a quiet morning, as most were lately. The warehouse seemed even bigger, being occupied by only one person, and one person didn't tend to make very much noise at all. Every creak, every echo, every heartbeat could be heard from the walls. Every breath, every whisper, every tear. The silence is what woke her up every morning and what put her to bed every night.

She was lucky enough as it was, stumbling across the abandoned warehouse in her destination of Port Charles. It had taken her months to get there on her own, and she almost turned back more times than she can count. Only problem was, she had nothing to turn back to.

The bed she had prepared on the ground was nothing more than a couple of boxes pushed together, an old dusty blanket she had found thrown on top. Comfort didn't matter to her. In fact, the bed she had put together in that warehouse was more comfortable than anything she had ever laid in before.

Climbing off of the boxes, she tucked a piece of her thick, wavy dark brown hair behind her ear as she made her way over to the sinks in the far corner of the room. Turning the dial, and kicking the pipe, she turned the water on and threw her hands down into it, splashing the cool liquid on her face. She blinked a couple of times, her hands gripped tightly to the sides of the sink as she shook the water off her face and let it sink in. She had managed to survive another day.

She walked over to the center of the room and knelt down to the ground. Forcing her fingers underneath one of the old floorboards, lifting it up and out of the way, she reached down into the ground and pulled out the items she had hidden there. Some cash, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a pocket knife. She didn't have much to live by, and what she did have she stole. She didn't know right and wrong. She didn't know good and bad. She only knew survival.

And she was a master at survival. Years of practice had taught her to have a sneaky hand. Stealing came almost naturally to her. Taking cash out of a register in front of the eyes of the clerk was an easy task for someone as keen and quick as she was. Stealing a wallet out of the hands of an unsuspecting person was even easier. She was quiet and could come and go almost unnoticed. She knew deep down if she disappeared, it wouldn't even make a difference. No one knew when she was around, anyway.

She pulled her dark unruly locks into a ponytail as she reached for a clean pair of jeans. All her clothing was pretty dusty and dirt stained, and having to steal fast without anyone catching her, she often ended up with clothing too big for her small frame. She threw on the baggy jeans, ripped at the knees, and only staying up on her waist thanks to a black belt she had found on the streets one night. She reached over for one of her shirts, a black one that wore tight to her chest that could catch the eye of any man, no matter how dirty the rest of her appearance seemed.

Guys were easy to get things from. Money, food. She found men to be easier to con than she ever could have guessed. All she had to do was flash a smile, and she seemed to get whatever she needed. She assumed they thought she was older than she actually was, but then again, she had no idea how old she actually was. She was young, though she had no way of knowing that. Before managing to run away, she lived for years not knowing when she was born, not once celebrating a birthday. For the longest time all she had was a name, not an actual identity. And she only recently found out more.

Finding out who she was is what brought her to Port Charles. Running away scared her, and the thought that he was after her scared her even more. She didn't know what the consequences would be. She didn't know if she would live to accomplish what she had set out to do. She knew it was a risk, but she also knew she had no choice but to take it.

Leaning down to tie her sneakers that were ripped at the souls and practically talking, she grabbed the cash and her pocket knife, shoving them both into her jeans' pockets. She caught her reflection in the window as she made her way towards the exit. Her own brown eyes piering back at her before she turned away to head out the door.

It was only her third day in Port Charles, and she was still unfamiliar with the place. She didn't know the right places to go or the right people to come in contact with. She had a reason for being there, certain people she wanted to check out, and she had yet to find a way of tracking them down.

She didn't want to cause attention to herself, but she didn't see that being a problem. She was quiet and stayed out of the way, and most people didn't bother to notice people like her during the course of their own busy days.

She approached what appeared to be a diner, Kelly's, and stood for a moment watching the morning crowd make their way in and out of the place with their coffees and papers, enjoying the morning or making a pit stop before getting on with the rest of their day. It seemed welcoming enough, and a decent place to sit down and casually eavesdrop without seeming suspicious. Dusting off her clothes and making her appearance seem more presentable, she sighed as she made her way towards Kelly's doors.

Making her way over to a table, she took a seat and casually picked up the menu on the table. She hid her face in it and put her ears on alert, focusing her attention on the voices around her. Picking up bits and pieces of conversations, shifting through the useless chatter for anything she needed.

"...Just a quick coffee before work..."

"...My boss is driving me crazy..."

"...I swear, man, she had huge tits..."

"...Fair Samantha has me doing work of the cyberspace kind..."

There. Right there. That's the conversation she wanted to be listening to. She glanced over towards the sound of the male's voice who spoke it and spotted a couple sitting at a table not too far from hers. A guy with an unruly mop of brown hair on his head, with a style of clothing no better than the dirty rags she herself wore accompained by a blonde woman with short hair and clothes both styled with what she would only assume to be the latest fashion. "Oh, come on, Spinelli. Sam isn't going to mind if you spend a little while drinking coffee with me." The fashionable blonde told the other guy.

"Maximista, you know that my and Fair Samantha's work is of the utmost importance and I really don't have time for frivolous cups of cafeine." The awkward guy replied back. Trying to overhear this conversation was going to be harder than she thought, especially if the guy who she assumed was named Spinelli always spoke sentences like that.

The blonde girl who had been addressed as Maximista let out a frustraged groan. "Come on, Spinelli. Sam won't mind if you spend just an hour more with me."

"Can I get you something to eat or drink, sweetie?" She was pulled away from listening at Maximista and Spinelli's conversation to focus on the waitress who had suddenly approached her table. "You new in town? I don't think I've seen you around before."

She smiled sheepishly, and looked away from the waitress, trying to act shy so she wouldn't have to answer any questions. "Why don't I just bring you a cup of coffee?" The waitress asked her with a wink, and she slowly nodded her head in response. The waitress smiled and left her alone, and she continued to try and continue listening in on the pair's conversation.

Their conversation turned away from Sam and whether or not Spinelli should be doing as she asked him or hanging out with Maxie, and the other girl lost interest. Her coffee came, and she sat and drank it. When Maxie and Spinelli got up to head out of Kelly's, she decided to follow them. If nothing else, Maxie seemed to be someone who would have money in her wallet, and that was something she was interested in pursuing.

She managed to catch up with them as they were walking, and she stuck her foot out in front of her other foot, tripping herself right into Maxie. "Hey, watch it!" Maxie yelled at her, as they both regained their balance. She held her hands up at Maxie in an apologetic way, and turned around and began walking the other way. "Well, that was rude." Maxie commented to Spinelli as she began to dust herself off.

Spinelli reached down on the ground to pick up Maxie's pocketbook that had fallen in the collision and in doing so, accidentally turned it upside down, spilling out all of it's contents. "Oh, God, the Jackal extends his greatest apologizes, let me get that for you." He dove to the ground to pick up the fallen contents, as Maxie rolled her eyes and bent down to do the same. "Did we retrieve it all?" Spinelli asked Maxie, as they stood back up after putting everything back into the pocket book.

"No, wait. Where's my wallet." Maxie asked, digging through the pocket book. Spinelli looked around on the ground, hoping they had just overlooked it. "Spinelli, seriously, where's my wallet."

Spinelli shrugged, not seeing it lying on the ground anywhere around them. "Did you leave it in Kelly's? Or perhaps it is hidden under one of your other artifacts that you have placed in your bag?" He offered as a suggestion, but Maxie shook her head.

"No. No I didn't even take it out because I knew you'd pay." She told him with a shrug, and he shot her a friendly look. "Spinelli, seriously. Where the hell is my wallet?" She turned around to spot the girl who had bumped into her walking the other way. "Hey!" She called out to her, causing the other girl to look back. Maxie glared at her, and when she saw the look in Maxie's eyes, her own eyes opened wide as she quickened her walk into a run. "Hey! You come back here!" Maxie yelled as she took off towards the other girl.

It took Spinelli a second to realize what was going on, but once he did, he also took off after the other girl. He passed Maxie, who couldn't run as fast in her high heels, and when he caught up to the suspected wallet theif, he lunged at her to grab her. She was quick on her feet though, and as Spinelli made his way through the air at her, she ducked, causing him to fly right over her and land on the ground with a belly flop.

The girl looked at Spinelli with a pained expression on her face, knowing that must have hurt. Spinelli let out a groan, bringing the girl back into focus, but before she could walk around him to make her get away, Maxie caught up to her and grabbed at her arm tightly. "Give me back my wallet you street urchin!"

She was stronger than Maxie, and with a push of her hand, knocked Maxie to the ground. Maxie didn't let go of her grip, however, bringing the girl down to the ground with her. Spinelli made his way off of the growned with a groan and took a few steps over to the girls, positioning himself so that if Maxie did happen to let go of the girl's wrist, he could see to it that she wouldn't get away. "Just hand over Maximista's wallet, and we shall let you be on your merry way." He told her.

She didn't hesitate. She didn't care to fight with the two of them, and if this Spinelli was willing to let her just go, she would do whatever she could to see to it that she wouldn't get into any trouble. God only knew what would happen to her if she got in trouble.

She reached into her back pocket and tossed the wallet onto the ground next to Maxie. Maxie let go of the girl's arm and they both stood up, dusting each other off. The girl turned to walk away, but Maxie reached for her arm once again. "Oh, no. You aren't getting off that easy." The girl looked over towards Spinelli, who shrugged. "Don't look at Spinelli, he's a lot kinder than I am. I'm not letting you leave just because you gave me my wallet back."

She looked back over towards Maxie, and it was the first time that Maxie actually looked at her back. Maxie looked the girl up and down, and softened up a bit as she took the sight in. Dirty wasn't the right word; more like run down. And if her clothes weren't an indication of how she lived, her weight definitely was. Maxie studied the girl, observing how she looked as though she really did need the money she was trying to steal from Maxie. "Do you live around here?" Maxie asked the girl who looked years younger than she was.

The girl didn't answer her. She just looked away from Maxie's gaze. "Maybe I, the Jackal, and Maximista should walk you to your place of residence." Spinelli suggested, also taking note of the young girl's demeanor. The girl shook her head.

"Either you let us take you home so your parents can deal with you, or we'll let the cops deal with you." Maxie threatened her. "It's up to you." The girl didn't say anything. She looked from Spinelli, to Maxie, back to Spinelli, then at the ground. She went over in her head all the possible escape routes. "Do you have parents?" Maxie asked her, her voice growing softer as she came to the possible realization.

The girl's eyes turned hard, and she pushed Maxie, suddenly, knocking her down. Spinelli took the girl's arm before she could make a get away, his grip a lot softer than Maxie's on her skin. "Is the Young Theif in some sort of peril?" He asked her.

She didn't answer him, she just kept her eyes on the ground. Maxie stood back up, dusting herself up, as she glared at the younger girl. "Say something!" She yelled at her, getting annoyed at the girl's quiet demeanor. "We aren't going to just let you waltz away, so you might as well tell us who you are and where you live!"

"Does the Young Theif speak?" Spinelli asked, getting the impression that maybe she wasn't refusing to answer Maxie, maybe she just couldn't. The girl looked up at him without saying a word, and he was sure he had his answer. He looked over at Maxie who backed off of the girl a bit at the new revelation.

Maxie stared at her. "So you don't talk?" The girl looked over at her and slowly shook her head. "At all?" She slowly shook her head again.

"Maybe, Maximista, we should just let the Young Theif be on her way. You got your wallet back, all is right in the world." Spinelli suggested, taking up the younger girl's side. "She doesn't appear to be dangerous. Just a young girl gone aloof."

Maxie shook her head. "No. I'm getting one of my women intuition feelings." Spinelli rolled his eyes a bit at the statement. "Something's off. Who's kid are you, anyway. You look familiar." Maxie asked the girl, who obviously didn't say anything in return. "Okay, look. I don't usually do this, I'm not normally a very nice person to strangers, especially ones who steal my wallet, but you kind of look like shit and like you could use a shower. And you could definitely use a change of clothes. So why don't you come with us, since you refuse to tell us where you live, and I'll get Spinelli to cook us something to eat and I can lend you some not so hideous clothes?"

She looked at Maxie, unsure if she should actually take her up on her offer. Real cooked food sounded amazing. As did a shower and clean clothes. It was almost too tempting. "Unless you rather the Jackal and Maximista walk you to your own place of residence." Spinelli offered the girl.

She slowly shook her head. How would she explain staying in the old warehouse to these people? "You don't have a home, do you?" Maxie came out and asked her. Maxie knew how to hide things from people. She was a master at lying and hiding things, in fact. She could tell this girl had something she wasn't letting them know.

The girl didn't respond. She was in Port Charles on a mission, and she didn't want her encounter with these two to ruin it. "Why don't you come with us. Spin, come on, we'll take her back to your and Jason's place. I want to get her out of that atrocious outfit and into a shower." Maxie said, covering her concern for the girl with concern for her appearance. Spinelli could read right through her. He was concerned, too. And like Maxie, he, too, thought this young girl looked familiar.

"Stone Cold might not enjoy the company of the Young Theif in his penthouse." Spinelli said with a shrug. "Why don't we accompany each other to your place instead, Maximista?"

Maxie shook her head. "First of all, she's filthy and I just had a maid come. Second of all, she's still not off the hook, and Jason Morgan is the perfect person to check her out and make sure she isn't sketchy. I don't want a sketchy person in my place, either." She said, then turned to face the young girl. "No offense."

"Okay, well not to rush the two of you, but Fair Samantha really depends on the Jackal to get the work he has promised to do done, and the Jackal does not need her rethinking this partnership in her PI firm now, after years of working together." Spinelli said, trying to get the two to get a move on.

Maxie grabbed a hold of the girl's arm again as they began walking, not wanting her to make a quick escape as they made their way to the penthouse. The girl smiled to herself. She liked Maximista and the guy who called himself the Jackal. They amused her, and they showed concern for her, which wasn't something she got very often. Also, they were getting her a shower, some food, and getting her one step closer to her reason for being in Port Charles in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, thank you all so much for the feedback! i'm glad you guys are interesting in this little idea i have here. sorry about the long delay in updates, i was on vacation this week. updates should come much more frequently from now on! enjoy!  
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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

She listened to the two older ones bicker back and forth as they made their way over to the place Spinelli shared with a man Maxie had called Jason. She didn't know anything about Jason, and truth be told, she didn't care very much about him at all. Jason, along with Maxie and Spinelli, were just pawns in her mission, and she was willing to go along with it all for now. Especially since she didn't seem to have any other option.

She kept her eyes wide, memorizing every square inch of Port Charles she could as they made their walk. At one point during their walk, Maxie had hooked arms with her, the gentle touch of Maxie's arm startling her. She flinched, but Maxie didn't seem to notice her discomfort. And after a few seconds of getting used to the friendly feeling Maxie was unknowingly giving her, the discomforting feeling went away.

The two of them spoke a lot, Maxie chatting away about anything and everything that popped into her head, and Spinelli doing the same, though she didn't really understand much that came out of his mouth. She, for the most part, zoned the two of them out as they made their walk, focusing mostly on the area and listening to any mention of something that could be useful to her. It became apparent to her right from the start that even if she did talk, she would never have gotten a word in with these two.

When they finally made their way into the penthouse, Spinelli let out a sigh of relief at the fact that Jason wasn't home. "Good, Stone Cold is not present, so let's get the Young Theif showered and fed so she can be on her way." Spinelli said, pushing the girl over towards the direction of the bathroom.

"Spinelli, don't be rude." Maxie scolded him. "She obviously needs some help and it is our duty as once troubled teenagers to help the new generation of troubled teenagers to not be troubled anymore."

Spinelli raised an eyebrow at her. "The Jackal is not quite sure what Maximista just said, but I plead with you both to hurry this up before Stone Cold returns home. Maximista is well aware that Stone Cold does not like uninvited visitors in his place."

"What I am well aware of, Spinelli, is that this is just as much your place as it is Jason's. I mean, really, how long have you two been living together? If you want to have visitors, you are allowed to have visitors. And if," Maxie paused for a moment and turned to face the younger girl, "what did you say your name was?" The quiet girl just shook her head at Maxie. "No? No what? You don't have a name?" The girl shook her head again. "Okay, well that's a little sketchy."

Spinelli let out a frustration groan. "Stone Cold is not going to like this."

"She's just going to take a shower and eat something. As Stone Cold-ish as Jason is, I'm sure he doesn't want a starving dirty girl on the streets because he's too stubborn to share his shower and kitchen." Maxie shrugged and turned to face the girl. "But I am checking you and my purse before you leave here. Just because I'm trying to help you doesn't mean I trust you. You did, after all, just try to steal my wallet. Which, by the way, is more expensive than all of the contents in it."

It was then that the door opened and Jason made his way through, throwing his jacket on his desk chair and walking past the three and into the room. "Spinelli, if Maxie is here just to talk about her expensive purse and how Lulu's isn't as expensive and actually fake because the letters on the bag touch or whatever, can you please explain to her that I had a long day and I don't feel like listening to it for the hundreth time and she can leave?"

"First of all, I'm impressed that because of me you know enough about purses to throw that statement at me. Second of all, yes, Lulu's stupid purse is fake, no matter what she tells anyone. And third, Jason, you are the rudest person I have ever met. Introduce yourself to our guest." Maxie scolded him as both Spinelli and the younger girl stared at her.

Jason looked over towards the quiet girl. "Spinelli, who is this?" He nodded in her direction as he looked her up and down. She was dirty and rough looking, but young. He didn't like the way her sneakers were leaving dirt tracks on his carpet and he didn't like that someone that young seemed like such a little mess. She captivated him at a glance, and curiosity immediately overcame him. Especially since he reminded him of someone he knew. He just couldn't place a finger on it. "Who are you?" He asked her, when Spinelli didn't answer. When she didn't answer, either, Jason demanded an answer. "Someone better start talking, because I'm getting the feeling you two," he pointed at Maxie and Spinelli, "are up to no good."

Spinelli, knowing that Maxie had a habbit of pushing Jason's buttons, decided to answer first. "The Young Th--uh--Young One is in dire need of a shower, clean apparel, and a full balanced meal. The Jackal and Maximista found it our given duty to see to it that she accomplishes the aforementioned."

"So you brought home some random kid to use my shower?" Jason asked, trying to assess the situation. He turned to face the girl again. "Where'd you come from?"

Knowing she wasn't going to answer, Maxie spoke up for her. "We found her by Kelly's. She stole my wallet." She blurted out. Spinelli brought a hand to his forehead, anticipating Jason's reaction.

"She what? She stole your wallet? So you what, brought her here to reward her with a nice meal and shower instead of bringing her to the police?" Jason asked, completely baffled, but not surprised, by the situation. "And why'd you steal Maxie's wallet?"

"Maximista and I believe that the Young Theif's actions were strictly for survival purposes. She doesn't appear to have a place of residence or any money of her own." Spinelli answered for her. "While theiving is frowned upon and not exactly the best means to live by, surely Stone Cold can understand the need for even the smallest amount of money in today's economy."

"And her taste isn't exactly all that bad. I mean, while she dresses as if she shops at the girl version of whatever store you get all your clothes from, she knew to steal my wallet instead of Spinelli's ratty old thing." Maxie interjected.

Jason was getting frustrated. "Would you two be quiet for two seconds and let her speak for herself?" Maxie and Spinelli shared a nervous glance. "What's that, what's with the look?"

"The Young Theif isn't exactly verbal." Spinelli said with a weak smile. Jason shot him a questioning look.

"What Spinelli means is, well, she doesn't talk." Maxie informed him with a shrug. "And she sort of, kind of, doesn't have a name."

Jason inhaled a deep breath. "Okay, that's it. You," he pointed at the girl, "sit over there and don't move." She did as she was told. Jason turned back to face Spinelli and Maxie. "Let me get this straight. You brought a girl who stole your wallet and who doesn't speak or have a name or any idenity whatsoever into my home?" Jason didn't like that at all. He didn't like a lot of people in his home to begin with, but a stranger who seemed to be anything short of shady wasn't his idea of an ideal guest. "And I thought the two of you would get wiser with age. You still act like a bunch of reckless naive kids." He turned to face the girl. "You can go."

She looked up at him, and for a second cowered back, his strong build and fierce look scared her a bit. She considered grabbing something expensive she could sell as she made her way out of the room, but when her eyes met his, she was taken back at how soft they seemed. She stood up off of the couch, not taking her eyes away from him. He couldn't tear his gaze away from hers, either. Her eyes seemed so familiar. "Jason, you aren't seriously going to send her back out on the streets, are you?" Maxie asked before the girl could make her way towards the door.

"The Jackal has to agree with Maximista here. While, it is understandable for Stone Cold to feel apprehensive about the Young Theif in his household, I have to urge you to take note of how very young and very disheveled the Young Theif appears." Spinelli chimed in. "No offense." He added, looking over at the girl.

Jason shook his head firmly. "She's not my responsibility. And until you can get me any real answers on who she is and where she's from, I don't want her here." He turned to face the girl again. "I'm sorry, okay, but either you start talking or you go."

She nodded her head at him and began heading for the door. Maxie grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Just let us feed her, Jason." Maxie argued with him.

"She needs to go." Jason turned to tell Spinelli.

Spinelli cocked his head. "If the Jackal may ask, which 'she' is Stone Cold referring to?"

"Spinelli is right. This pronoun thing is getting annoying. She needs a name." Maxie said, bringing a finger to her chin as she began to contemplate.

Jason stared at Maxie. "You're serious? You're seriously going to stand there and name her?"

"Well, we can't just keep calling her 'she' or 'the girl', it could get confusing. And annoying. And it's not really flattering." Maxie said with a shrug. "Besides, you said yourself she could stay if we had answers. So we'll just make our own answers."

Jason let out a frustrated groan and ran his hands through his hair. "That's not what I...you can't just make up answers. You can't just give her a name. You can't just label her Jane Doe and be on your way as if her past doesn't matter."

"Oh, Jane Doe. I like it." Maxie said, looking over at the girl. "Though, you look like you'd make a better J.D. Yeah, I think we'll go with that. J.D." Maxie nodded, satisfied with herself. "J.D. Jones."

"J.D. Jones. It sounds like the alias of a Superhero." Spinelli said, also enjoying the name Maxie had given her.

"You two are driving me crazy. You need to get the girl--"

"J.D." Maxie interrupted him to correct.

Jason glared at her. "You need to get her out of my home." As they bickered, the girl, now named J.D., had made her way over to the mantle to look at the pictures Jason had framed. One held the picture of a woman who looked about Maxie's age. Another a picture of a young red headed boy. And the third was a picture of Spinelli, Jason, and a dark haired woman. J.D. picked up the third picture frame to get a better look. "Hey, put that down. Don't touch anything." Jason scolded her, noticing that she had left her place and was over by the mantle.

"Look, Jason. I had the same first reaction that you are having now. She stole my wallet, for christ's sake. We chased her down the street. I know this is crazy and I was mad and I did want to call the cops at first." Maxie explained, her voice growing softer. "But then I looked at her. And you can't tell me that looking at her you see a criminal or a threat. She's just a kid. And she needs our help."

Jason held his hand out and J.D. handed him the picture frame she had picked up. He looked down at the picture. It was of him, Spinelli, and Sam shortly after Spinelli and Sam had decided to team up after Sam had gotten her P.I. license. Maxie had thrown a small celebratory party at the penthouse with just the four of them. He looked back up at J.D. Maxie was right. Looking at her, it was almost hard to keep up his defense and send her on her way. He looked back down at the picture in his hand. "Fine. Feed her." He turned around to face Maxie and Spinelli. "On one condition."

"Name it." Maxie said excitedly, knowing that she had won the battle.

"I'm calling Sam over here." He turned back to J.D. "I want her to look into this girl."

"J.D." Maxie corrected him for the second time.

Jason shot Maxie a look and turned to meet J.D.'s gaze. "This all sound okay to you?" He had spent most of the time arguing with Maxie and Spinelli and them with him. He wondered if any of this was even what J.D. wanted. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about her.

J.D. shrugged in response. Truth be told, it was more than okay to her. It was perfect.

"Fine. Just take your shoes off, I don't want my whole house looking like Spinelli's room." He said, and walked away from the three of them to take a seat at his desk.

"Oh thank you Jason!" Maxie said, clapping excitedly. She ran over and hooked both Spinelli and J.D. by the arms as she pulled them into the kitchen.

Jason took out his cell phone to call Sam. "Just don't get too comfortable! She can stay for a meal and until Sam gets here, but then she's gone! And you're leaving, too, Maxie!" He called after them before dialing.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi everyone! Here's the next update as promised. I'm trying to rotate between fic updates so just bear with me if sometimes they take longer than I would like them to. Also, no JaSam are not together in this fic...yet. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sam McCall hung up the phone seconds after saying goodbye to Jason and grabbed her jacket and purse to head over to the penthouse. Jason had explained the situation, and while Sam herself was curious about the young girl currently in Jason's home, the moment Jason asked her to come over she immediately agreed. After all, she was one of his best friends, and she would do anything for him.

It was a slow climb to friendship that started when they teamed up to bring down the Russians all those years ago. From there, they teamed up to help during the hospital crisis that happened shortly after. And from there, the teamed up to help save Spinelli from Raynor and his hacking charges.

It was shortly after that when Sam had gotten her PI license. Spinelli had hopped on board, wanting to work with her after being freed from his federal charges, and from there they started their own firm. Jason didn't like the idea at first, and he and Sam had fought about it for weeks. It wasn't until Jason slipped and admitted to only being worried about Sam and Spinelli that Sam softened up, laughing at his accidental declaration and making fun of him for it. Soon after, Jason came around to the idea, and realized that Sam and Spinelli made a good team, and that this was good for them.

Sam had been over at the penthouse almost every day since. Jason once asked her why she and Spinelli needed to do their work at his place every day, when she had a perfectly fine place of her own. Sam, with a shrug, told him that she always felt safer and more at home at his place. Jason let it go and never questioned her about it again. And before either one realized it, they grew into being best friends. And Jason had grown to expect her being at his place almost every day.

She knocked on the door before opening it, never waiting for someone to let her in. Jason's home was practically her own, and on some days, she didn't even bother knocking.

She first spotted Jason sitting at his desk with his face buried in his hands. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, a short laugh escaping from her mouth. "Headache?" She asked him with a smirk.

He didn't look up or respond to her, he simply pointed in the direction of the couch. Sam's gaze followed Jason's finger where she spotted Maxie sitting next to a much younger girl, chatting away as if her life depended on it. "Make it stop." Jason mumbled out.

Sam laughed and patted Jason on the head. "Cover me, I'm going in." She jokingly told Jason, who picked his head up to watch Sam approach the two girls.

Maxie was going on and on about her life and about Port Charles and who J.D. should and shouldn't associate herself with. JD sat next to her, her legs folded Indian style as she did her best to follow Maxie as she ranted. Spinelli was sat in the chair across from them, his laptop headphones on as he typed away on his keyboard.

Sam made her way over to the couch and took a seat next to Maxie. J.D. almost immediately shifted her focus over to Sam. "You're not even listening to me anymore?" Maxie asked the moment J.D.'s gaze shifted.

"Maxie, I think you might be overwhelming her." Sam interjected with a smile.

Maxie smiled and hugged Sam. "Hey, Sam. Oh, where are my manners, Sam this is J.D.. J.D., this is Sam." As Maxie looked from Sam to J.D., she couldn't help but do a double take.

"I thought Jason said you didn't have a name?" Sam asked J.D.

"She doesn't." Jason interrupted the conversation. "Maxie took it upon herself to name her."

Sam let out a small laugh. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, J.D." She held out her hand for J.D. to shake. J.D. didn't move. She couldn't take her eyes off of Sam's. "It's okay. I don't bite." Sam told her, her hand still out for J.D. to take.

J.D.'s eyes shifted over to Sam's hand. She slowly extended her own, and as her rough hand touched Sam's soft one, she momentarily let herself smile back at Sam. "Well, good. Now that you are here, Sam, I think it's safe for Spinelli and I to head over to my apartment to get some better clothes for her. God knows dressing like that only makes her look like a Mini Morgan Clone, and we all know that we don't need two people in Port Charles dressing like Jason."

"I'm sure she enjoys you deciding to control her life." Jason mumbled under his breath, though loud enough for everyone to hear him.

Maxie shot him a look. "I'm just being helpful. Someone needs to be." Maxie stood up off of the couch and pulled Spinelli's headphones off of his head. "Come on, Spinelli."

Spinelli looked at her for a moment, confused, not having heard any of the conversation that had took place prior. "Oh, hello Fair Samantha. The Jackal did not see you make your entrance." He told Sam, standing up off of his seat, picking up his laptop with him. "Where exactly are we going?" He asked Maxie.

"To go shopping. She looks about a size 0, right?" Maxie asked looking at her. "You're way small, actually. We'll have to plump you up. I'll buy size 3." Maxie said, grabbing Spinelli by the arm and pulling him as she made her way out of the penthouse.

"Thank God." Jason said the moment the door closed behind the two.

Sam let out a laugh before turning back to J.D. "I apologize for Maxie. She gets a little overexcited and carried away, but her intentions are good. Her intentions aren't always good, but I promise you she has a big heart." Jason snorted at Sam's words. "And don't listen to Jason. Deep down, he really does care for Maxie." J.D. smiled weakly at Sam in response. Sam knew what she was doing. Small talk to find out as much as she could about this girl based on her reactions. Sam was good at figuring people out. "So I hear you don't speak? You know, you'd probably make a really good friend to Jason. He doesn't like chatter much. Matter of fact, that's probably why Maxie likes you so much. She can talk all she wants and you'll never interrupt her."

"Even if you do interrupt her, she keeps talking." Jason interjected, and Sam shot him a look. "Fine. I'll back off. But I doubt this kid wants Maxie naming and dressing her as if she's her pet or something."

Sam turned from Jason back to J.D. "Okay, well, unfortunately Jason has a point. And if you don't want any of this from Maxie, you can let her know. She won't get offended." Sam paused for a moment. "Okay, well, maybe she will, but she'd get over it." J.D. just shrugged. "If I get a map or something is there any possible way I could get you to point me out where you live?" J.D. slowly shook her head no. "Okay, well sweetie, I know that Maxie gave you the benefit of the doubt after you tried to steal her wallet, but we really do need some answers from you."

"Sam, this is crazy. She's just a kid who wanted to steal some quick cash. Maxie and Spinelli would bring home a rabid dog if it would follow them." Jason muttered.

Sam turned to shoot him a look. "This is a child. Not an animal." She warned him, then focused her attention back on J.D. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

J.D. stopped to think a moment. She had Sam right there in front of her, and from what she could tell, Sam was good friends with these people who brought her here. Maybe if she played her cards right, they'd let her stick around for a while. Maybe let her visit a bit. Anything so she could find out the information she was so desperately seeking. She slowly shook her head no to answer Sam's question. "Sam, can we talk for a second?" Jason asked her quickly, motioning her over towards the other side of the room.

Sam smiled at J.D. before getting up off of the couch to follow Jason. "What's up?"

"I see that look on your face and I wanted to stop you before you got any ideas." Jason told her with a look. "She's just a kid. A teenager who wanted some spare cash and decided to steal Maxie's wallet."

"You really think that's all there is to this, Jason?" Sam questioned him. "You can honestly look at her and tell me that you see a kid who just wants some extra spending cash? Because what I see is something totally different. I see a kid who is so desperate she has to steal. A kid who has been on the streets for a really long time and has seen first hand the tragedy the streets can dish out. I see a kid who has no one to take care of her or love her and who's eyes hold more pain than most kids her age can even dream of witnessing."

Jason stared at Sam. "You've spent like ten seconds with her. You're good at your job Sam, but you aren't that good. What aren't you telling me?"

"It's like looking in a mirror, Jason." She told him honestly. "I've been that kid. And maybe if someone had decided to help me out back then, I wouldn't have been as screwed up as I ended up being."

Jason let out a sigh. "You aren't screwed up. You never were, Sam." He told her, and she just shrugged in response. "So, what? What do you want to do? Invite her to live with you? Sam that's almost crazy. She's a theif. You don't know her intentions."

"No, I don't want to invite her to live with me." Sam told him, and he nodded his head, glad he and Sam seemed on the same page. "I want you to invite her to live here with you." Jason stared at Sam. He was not expecting that one.

He shook his head sternly. "Sam, no. That's crazy. We've known her for a few hours. We know nothing about this kid. And you want me to invite her to stay here? And why here, why not your place?"

"I'm hardly there, Jason, you know that. I practically only go home to sleep. I'm here most of the time when I'm not out working, you know this. It just makes more sense for her to stay here. Where you can keep an eye out on her. And Spinelli and Maxie can try and help her be a normal teenager. And where I know where to find her so when I start looking into who she is, I have her right here. It just makes sense." She tried to convince him.

"You're making this more personal than it should be, Sam." Jason tried to explain to her. "She's not you. You don't know her story."

Sam shrugged. "I know I don't. But just looking at her...I just feel like I know her. Please, Jason. Just let her stay until we can find out more about her. Please." Sam looked at him with begging eyes that Jason couldn't look away from.

She was his best friend, and he would do anything for her.

He turned to face J.D. "You, there's a spare room upstairs. Not the master or the pink room. You're staying there." He turned back to face Sam. "That's alright with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" She asked him, confused for a moment, before realizing the answer before he gave it to her.

"It was the nursery. I remember you wouldn't let Spinelli have that room." He told her, looking away from her for a moment. J.D. watched the two of them carefully.

Sam shrugged. "We were trying to have a baby at the time. Things were different." She turned to J.D., wanting to dismiss that conversation all together. "So, the spare bedroom is yours. Sound good to you?" J.D. shrugged in response, and Sam turned back to Jason. "At least you don't have to worry about her making too much noise."

"Okay, well, I'm going to go check that room real quick for anything I'd need." He said, and Sam nodded. He turned to head up the stairs. "Oh, and Sam? She steals anything from me, and I'm throwing her out, no questions asked."

Sam smiled. "She won't, Jason." He nodded at her and headed up the stairs, and once he was out of earshot, Sam turned abruptly back to J.D. "Okay, hand over anything you already swiped." She held out her hand and J.D. stared at her. "Don't look at me like that, I know how to con with the best of them. Hand it over."

J.D. watched Sam carefully. She wasn't sure how much she could trust Sam, there was still a lot she needed to learn about the woman. But for now, based on the first impression, she didn't seem to have any reason to lie. Not yet, anyway. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the few trinkets she had swiped while there. A watch, one of Spinelli's expensive computer accessories, and a few other things that might have gone unnoticed had Sam not confronted her.

"Okay, now no more of that. We're going to take care of you while you're here. I promise." She told J.D. "And don't worry about Jason. He'll warm up to you. He didn't like me at first, either, but he warmed up to me."

Jason made his way down the stairs. "Okay. Room's all yours. But I'm keeping an eye on you. I can't have a juvenile in my place. One slip up, and I'll throw you out. No matter what Sam or Maxie says." He warned her. She just slowly nodded.

"Why don't you go take a look?" Sam told her, and J.D. nodded her head and slowly made her way up the stairs to her new room. She stopped at the top to look back at Sam, who smiled. She couldn't help but smile back. She still had a lot to accomplish, and she still didn't know what to make of Sam. But for now, everything was working out in her favor. She just hoped that would continue to last. "I'm going to get going. It's getting late. But please, Jason, just--"

"Sam. I'm not going to beat her or anything. I'm just going to leave her alone. She's your and Maxie's project, not mine." He interrupted her to say.

She made her way to the door and turned back to face him before leaving. "Take care of her, Jason." He nodded his head at her as she turned to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

_So, this is a bit of a filler chapter, but i'll do my best to get to the action of the story as fast as i can. I hope you guys all enjoy!  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

_It was dark. It always was, though her eyes had learned to adapt the best they could. The walls were grey, cracked, water stained. There were days she found it hard to breathe, the overwhelming sent of mold and dust making it's way up her nose and back into her throat. The walls and the bars that she was trapped behind cold to the touch. She hadn't felt warmth in a long, long time._

_She couldn't move. She sat leaning up against the wall, barely able to keep her eyes open. Her eyelids fell heavy. Her stomach cramped from hunger. But none of this was out of the ordinary for her. She accepted the pain. She was used to it. She never knew anything but it._

_She was young when she realized to survive she would need to steal. The food the guards would bring in for themselves, she learned to swipe, and she became good at it. She was sneaky, she had to be. She didn't even want to think of the consequences if she was caught. _

_The keys were so close that day. A new guard, careless, standing too close. She hesitated, knowing that stealing the keys from this man would seal his fate. He would surely kill him for being careless. But she had to take that risk. He was the sacrifice for her escape._

_She had been working towards this moment for a while. After hearing about them. After hearing about who she was. She worked hard to build up her strength. When everyone else slept, she trained. She had taught herself to be quiet, noise only got you into danger. Disappearing behind the curtains behind a mask of silence kept you safe._

_Stealing the keys was easy. Unlocking the lock was even easier. And when the guard finally realized what was going on, she pulled out the knife she had stolen off of another guard weeks before and sliced his throat just like she had seen done many times before. _

_He fell to the ground with a gurgle before going silent, and she watched the life as it left from his eyes. She was young, too young to have been subjected to the things she has seen in her life. But she has witnessed it all so much, the sight before her didn't give her any reason to bat an eye._

_She made her way through the long hallway, as dark and grimy as her own human cage was. She could see the door at the end, and the light coming from behind it. She didn't know where she was going to go. She didn't know where to find the people she now so desperately wanted to seek out. But she knew she was feet away from being free._

_Suddenly, she felt the cold of metal wrap itself around her foot, and in one swift movement, she was pulled to the ground. Turning around to see what was happening, she watched as cold metal chains seemed to be morphing out of the walls, coming alive and making their way towards her, wrapping around her legs and arms tightly, constricting her as if they were snakes._

_She struggled against them, but it was no use. The more she fought, the more chains flew out of the walls. She refused to give in, not after finally making it so far._

_The hallway seemed to stretch in front of her eyes, and it looked as though the chains were pulling her into a dark abyss surrounded by nothing. She turned around to see the door still there, a frame of light surrounding it. She struggled and pulled as much as she could, wanting more than anything to make it to that door, to make it to the light. But the harder she struggled, the faster the chains pulled her into the darkness. _

_A voice came out of the darkness, a voice that chilled her to the core. A voice she had grown up hearing, grown up being terrified of. _

_She couldn't see him, she assumed he was too far beyond the darkness to make out, but she knew that voice anywhere. That accent that could only belong to him. _

_She couldn't fight it anymore. The chains wrapped around every inch of her tightly, pulling at a force it was impossible to fight against. Tears poured down her face as she gave in, being pulled into the darkness, being pulled towards him..._

Her eyes flew open and she sat up in bed, sweat pouring from her head, fear soaring throughout her body. It took her eyes a moment to adjust and for her to realize she was in a bed, in a bedroom, and not back in that dungeon, in the dark.

She did her best to compose herself, coming too close to screaming out. She was shaking, she was afraid, and she needed to make sure he didn't follow her out of her dreams. She needed to be sure she was safe. She needed to be sure that she had, indeed, escaped.

She climbed out of the bed and crept out of the bedroom, passing the pink room, where she heard Spinelli's snores. She opened his door carefully, wanting to be positive that he was okay. Her dream scared her, and she needed proof that everything in Jason's place was as it's supposed to be.

She watched Spinelli as he slept for a moment, before closing the door and making her way over to the master bedroom. She hesitated. She already knew Jason better than to spy on him as he slept. If she was honest with herself, she'd admit she was a little afraid of Jason, too.

She made her way down the stairs and looked around the rest of the penthouse. Everything was quiet. Everything seemed normal. She could now relax. For now.

She was quiet, and while to most people she would have gone unnoticed, she wasn't quiet enough for Jason Morgan. He lied awake in bed, as he often did, and as he heard her footsteps make their way downstairs, curiosity over came him, as where as his suspicions that the "young thief", as Spinelli called her, was up to no good.

He let out a frustrated sigh, cursing Sam and her brilliant ideas under his breath, as he rolled out of bed. He threw on a shirt, and made his way out of the bedroom, walking out into the hall and down the stairs, spotting J.D. standing by the window, staring outward. He made his way over to her. "What are you doing?" Was the first thing that came into his mind to say.

She wasn't expecting anyone to creep up behind her, and it startled her. Without hesitation, she turned around and swung a fist hard at his face. Jason, quick on his feet, ducked out of the way, grabbing her arm in the process. Still not exactly sure what was going on, and still horrified from her dream, she quickly took her other hand and pulled her knife out of her pocket, holding it up in Jason's view. "Hey! Hey!" He yelled, trying to snap her out of whatever had come over her. He grabbed her other arm and held them both tightly as she fought his grip. "What the hell do you think your doing? Hey! Calm down!"

It took a moment for it all to register in her mind, and when it finally clicked that Jason was standing in front of her, not a threat, she eased up a bit. The moment she stopped fighting against his hold, he let her arms go.

The stood in silence for a moment, staring at each other. He held out his hand, a stern look on his face, and she hesitantly handed over her knife to him. "You want to explain to me what the hell that was all about?" He asked her.

She stared at him, her eyes drifting up towards the stairs. "Bad dream?" He asked her, and for a moment she was taken aback that he was able to tell what she wanted to say by just a quick glance of her eyes. "Look, I have a lot of restless nights, too, okay. But you don't see me attacking the first person I see." He began to walk away from her.

When he got to the foot of the stairs, he turned back around. Looking at her, he could tell she was afraid. Of what, he didn't know. But although she had a tough exterior, beneath it all, he could see the fear. He let out a sigh. "I told Sam I'd take care of you, okay? Whatever has got you all worked up, you don't need to worry about. You're safe here."

She nodded her head at him, and he nodded his back, turning back to head up the stairs. He stopped again, and turned back to face her. "Sam used to warm up milk when she couldn't sleep. I think it's kind of disgusting, but it seemed to work for her. If you want to try it, you can. The milk's in the freezer. And I'm assuming you know how to use a microwave." He didn't know what it was about this girl, but something about her drew him to her. He couldn't just walk away.

She tilted her head in confusion for a moment, and he shot her a look. "Fine." He said with a sigh, walking back down the couple of steps he had made his way up. He made his way into the kitchen, and she slowly followed him, baffled as to what he was doing.

She watched as he grabbed a mug from the cabinet and opened the refrigerator to take out the milk. He poured it into the mug, and opened the microwave to put the mug in. He closed the microwave door and stared at it for a moment. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not exactly sure how long you're supposed to warm up milk for." He said, looking over at her, and she just shrugged. "Whatever. I'll just put it in for two minutes. You can blow on it if it's too hot." He said, and turned the microwave on.

The stood in awkward silence as the waited for the two minutes to pass. When the buzzer finally went off, Jason couldn't have been more relieved. He opened the microwave quickly, and pulled the mug out. "Here." He said, handing it over to J.D.

She took the mug in her hands and stared at it for a moment, before looking back up at Jason. "You drink it." He told her, and she shot him a look. They stood in awkward silence for another moment, before she brought the mug up to her mouth to take a sip. "Warm enough?" He asked her. She shrugged.

He made his way out of the kitchen, and she followed him. He stood for a moment and watched as she made her way over to the mantle, her mug in her hand, as she looked at the pictures he had there. Her eyes moved towards the young red headed boy. "That's Michael." He told her, and she turned to face him, questioning him with her eyes. "He's...uh, he's dead now. He died a few years ago, but he was in a coma for much longer before that." He didn't know why he was so freely telling this girl all of this. "I really don't want to get into all of this right now."

She didn't say anything. She just nodded her head and her eyes drifted to the next picture, of a woman with long brown hair. "That's Emily. My sister." He paused for a moment before adding. "She's dead, too."

J.D. just nodded her head. "Okay. Well. I'm going back upstairs, and I'd feel more comfortable if you did the same." He told her, not exactly thrilled with the idea of leaving her alone downstairs to snoop through his place.

He motioned for her to head up first, so she made her way up the stairs with him following behind her. When she got to her bedroom door, she paused for a moment and turned to face him. "Okay, uh. I'll see you tomorrow. Now get some sleep." He told her, as he stood by his own bedroom door.

She nodded her head, but didn't move. "Look, you're safe here, I already told you that. Just go get some sleep." He waited as she slowly made her way back into her room before going into his.

She made her way back into her bed and put the practically full mug on the night stand next to her. She wrapped the blankets around her, letting the warmth cover her body. She let her head hit the soft pillow, and she closed her eyes. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she really did feel safe.


	5. Chapter 5

_thanks for the feedback everyone!  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

The sun came through the window, shining on her face the moment it rose. Her eyes flickered for a moment, still not quite used to the light. She had been in darkness for so long, it was going to take more than a couple of months to get used to the sun.

She rolled over to look at the clock that was on the dresser next to her. 5:37 a.m. She knew it was early, and she assumed she was the only on awake, but she climbed out of bed anyway, deciding to make her way down stairs. She wasn't used to sleeping very long, no matter how tired she actually felt.

She was surprised to see Jason sitting at his desk as she made her way down. He turned around to see who it was, knowing that there was no way Spinelli would be awake this early. He didn't say anything to her, just nodded his head in acknowledgement. She nodded hers back, and made her way over to the couch to take a seat.

Jason didn't mind her company. He actually found he liked it. He could be alone, without feeling alone, with her in the room. He sat at his desk attending to his work as she sat on the couch in silence. She didn't seem to want anything from him. She moved her eyes around his penthouse, taking it all in. After a few moments of working in silence, he turned his head to look at her, finding her fast asleep on the couch.

He turned his focus back on his work, but hesitated a moment. Getting up and walking over to J.D. on the couch, he picked up the throw blanket and threw it on top of her. He went back to his desk and sat down to continue his work.

An hour went by, and there was a knock at the door. Jason slowly got out of his desk to answer it, as J.D. awoke from her sleep. She sat up in bed and watched as Jason opened the door. "Hey Mr. Morgan." Cam Spencer said as he walked through the door, uninvited. Behind Cam was Jake Spencer, Jason's son, who stood in the doorway.

"What are you two doing here?" Jason asked awkwardly, facing his son. "Shouldn't you be at school or something?"

Cam leaned up against the couch and shrugged. "We're on our way. Jake wanted to see you. I figured it'd be a good excuse to be late to homeroom." He moved his head in a quick motion to flip his long brown hair out of his eyes, when he caught a glimpse of J.D. in his peripheral vision. "Woah, didn't see you sitting there." He slid off of the couch chair and into the seat next to J.D. "I'm Cam." He held out his hand for her to take, and she stared at it for a moment before giving hers to shake it.

"Spencer, get away from her." Jason warned him, and Cam just held his hands up in a "don't shoot" kind of way as he got up off of the couch and backed away from J.D. Cam was every high school girl's father's nightmare. A senior boy with a smile that could drive any girl crazy, he was a "player" in every way, shape, or form. He was charming, in his manipulative way, and a trouble maker who could get himself out of anything using only a little bit of his charm. He wore tight shirts that showed off his body and baggy pants that hung low on his hips. He was a teenage boy who had typical teenage boy thoughts, and he knew how to work a crowd.

"Did you need something?" Jason asked his son, who still stood in the doorway.

Jake was the opposite of his brother. Where Cam was outgoing, Jake was timid and shy. He behaved where Cam goofed off. And he showed respect, where Cam never seemed to have any of that. "I, um. I wanted to bring this to you. I didn't know if maybe you wanted it." He spoke, bringing his hand up to his forehead to push aside his long blonde hair away from the blue eyes he shared with his father.

He held up a picture for Jason to take, and looking at it, Jason saw that it was a professionally done photograph of Jake in a baseball uniform. "What's this?" Jason asked him.

"I joined the school's baseball team. You can join once you get to seventh grade, I've been waiting to join for a while." Jake explained to him. "We took team photographs and stuff last month. Mom bought extra copies. I thought maybe you'd want one."

Jason just nodded his head. "Thanks." He said, and they stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Does your mom know you two are here?" He asked, turning over to face Cam, who he found eyeing up J.D. "Okay, you. Come stand over here." He ordered Cam, who held his hands up again and moved closer towards Jason and Jake.

"Relax, Mr. Morgan. I'm not gonna attack her. I can't help it that she wants some Cam." He said with a laugh. Jason looked over towards J.D., who raised an eyebrow at them. "Oh, don't deny it, girl. Everyone wants some Cam."

Jason grabbed Cam by the shirt and dragged him over towards the door and out of his home. "Can you just answer the question?" He asked, as he let go of Cam, who dusted himself off, straightening his shirt.

"Mom doesn't know." Jake answered for him. Jason looked over at him, disappointedly. "She wanted me to mail the picture. But I thought maybe--"

"Your mom doesn't like you coming over here. And I don't blame her. It could be dangerous." Jason interrupted, and Jake nodded his head in response. They stood in more awkward silence. "Your, uh, your hair's getting long." Jason commented, taking note of the fact Jake seemed to be mirroring his older brother's sense of style.

"Yes, sir." Jake awkwardly replied back. More tense silence set in.

"So, uh. Baseball." Jason commented weakly.

Cam laughed and shot Jason a smirk. "It is America's pasttime afterall. I guess that and mafias, but we all know your thoughts on that one."

Jason glared at Cam but said nothing. "You can come to a game if you want." Jake offered.

"Jake, you know that's not a good idea." Jason replied to him. Jake slowly nodded back.

Cam looked from Jake over to Jason. "Okay...well since talking to you, Mr. Morgan, is like talking to a brick wall and conversation is running thin as it is, I think Jake and I best be getting to school."

"Yeah. You two should probably get going. I don't want you being too late to class or anything." Jason responded. "It was, uh, nice to see you, Jake." Jake weakly smiled at his father.

"It was nice to see you, too, Mr. Morgan." Cam butted into the conversation, and pushed passed Jason to look into the penthouse. "My name's Cam Spencer, feel free to look me up!" He called to J.D.

Jason rolled his eyes and shoved Cam out of the doorway. "Okay, get going." He told him as he pushed Cam out of the room. Cam laughed and began walking towards the stairs, too lazy to wait for the elevator, as Jake waved goodbye to Jason before following him.

Jason watched as the two boys disappeared behind the stairwell, and closed the door behind him as he made his way back into the penthouse. He paused for a moment after closing the door to take a deep breath. He brought a hand to his head to run through his hair.

He looked up and made eye contact with J.D., who was looking at him skeptically. "Don't give me that look." He told her, and she just shrugged in response, cocking her head to one side in curiosity. "Uh, Jake's my son." J.D. just shrugged. "My life gets dangerous, and his mother wants to protect him. I want to protect him, too." J.D. slowly nodded her head.

Jason opened his mouth to continue explaining, but thought twice about it. He didn't owe this girl any explanation whatsoever. Everyone involved understood the situation. Even Jake. "It's all just stupid past history. None of it matters."

A couple hours went by before Spinelli woke up and trampled his way down the stairs, still half asleep. His hair was a bigger mop on his head than usual, and his flannel pants and tshirt both wrinkled and messy. He smiled to himself when he saw J.D. and Jason sitting next to the couch next to each other, reading the morning paper. "Does the Jackal's eyes decieve him? Are the Young Thief and Stone Cold actually getting along peacefully together?"

"If I can tolerate you, Spinelli, I can tolerate any roommate Maxie can try and throw at me." Jason replied back to Spinelli, not looking away from his paper.

The door suddenly swung open, and the three looked over to see Sam walking in, grocery bags in her hands. "Wait, what is that? What are you doing?" Jason asked, getting up off of the couch to help Sam, taking one of the bags from her hands.

She placed the bag she was left carrying on Jason's desk. "I went food shopping. God knows you and Spinelli eat horribly, and now that you have a new guest, I figured stacking your refrigerator with some more, healthier, food, wasn't such a bad idea." Jason rolled his eyes, and Spinelli walked over to the shopping bags, interested.

"If the Jackal may take a look?" He asked, and Sam nodded her head and pushed the bag over towards him. "My mouth is salvitating already." He picked up the bag off of the desk. "I shall unpack these for you, Fair Samantha."

"J.D., would you mind taking this other bag into the kitchen for me?" Sam asked, motioning to the bag in Jason's arms. "And take a look, see if there's anything you especially like in there. Spinelli will help you make some breakfast." J.D. stared at Sam for a moment, before slowly nodding her head and getting off of the couch. She walked over to take the bag from Jason, her eyes not leaving Sam. "Thanks." Sam replied, and J.D. made her way into the kitchen with Spinelli. "She's shy." Sam commented.

Jason shrugged. "She's alright. She get's more shy when people show up. Especially you." Jason told her, and Sam stared at him in amusement. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You've been bonding with her!" Sam said, bumping him with her hip.

"What? Get out of here, I haven't been bonding with her." Jason said, rolling his eyes at Sam. "I haven't been, I just happen to notice that she gets shy around you."

Sam laughed. "You're warming up to her already, I knew this was a good idea!"

"Don't start celebrating yet, this doesn't prove anything." He told her and she shook her head at him.

"Just admit it." She told him, pointing a finger into his chest. "You're warming up to her and this was a good idea."

"I'm not admiting anything, because that would be a lie." He told her, and she poked him in the chest with her finger again. He grabbed her hand. "Quit poking me."

"Give me my hand back." She told him, laughing. He grabbed her other hand and held them both as she tried to free herself. "Jason! Give me my hands back!"

Jason laughed a bit. "Promise you won't poke me."

"Fine, I won't poke you." She said, continuing to laugh. "Just let go!"

"And admit that letting the girl stay here isn't proven to be a good idea at all yet!" He challenged her, and her eyes opened wide with a loud gasp.

"Not a chance! Because it is a good idea and you know it!" She challenged back. He pulled at her arms and she flung into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Let go of me, Jason!" She laughed, fighting his grip around her.

She tried to walk away from him, but he held his grip, and while trying to step away from him, she tripped over his foot. He wasn't expecting her to begin to fall to the ground, and she accidentally took him down with her. They continued to laugh as they laid on the ground, Jason on top of Sam.

The door suddenly swung open again. "Spinelli! J.D.!" Maxie called as she made her way in. She paused when she found Jason and Sam on the ground on top of each other and stared in amusement. "Well, well. Couldn't fight the urges any longer, huh?"

Jason rolled off of Sam. "Shut up, Maxie." He told her, as Sam continued to laugh. He looked up to find Spinelli and J.D. standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Spinelli had a big smile on his face and J.D. raised an eyebrow at him, much like she had done when Jake and Cam had left the penthouse.

If they were alone, he would have given J.D. the same answer he gave her about Jake. "It's all just stupid past history. None of it matters." He wondered if he really even believed that.

"Well, Spinelli, J.D. and I are going to go to the mall. So if I interrupted something, feel free to continue once we leave." Maxie informed Sam and Jason, who both stood up off of the ground.

"We are?" Spinelli asked Maxie, who apparently made the plans for them.

Maxie nodded her head. "Yes. We are. I have much to teach J.D. about fashion and what she should and should not wear. It is very important for a girl to know, and God knows living with you and Jason won't teach her anything."

"Maxie, she's not even settled in yet." Jason tried to argue, but Sam grabbed at his arm. He looked over at her.

"Let them go." Sam wanted to talk to Jason about looking into who J.D. was and where she came from, and she figured that was a conversation better had if J.D. was out of the penthouse.

Jason nodded. "Try not to get into any trouble." He told Maxie, and then turned to look towards J.D. "And I'd advise you to do the opposite of whatever these two goons tell you to do."

Maxie shot him a look and grabbed J.D. by the arm. "Come on, let's go. We'll have way more fun away from Jason." She pulled J.D. out of the penthouse, and Spinelli followed, and when they closed the door behind them, Jason turned to face Sam.

"I swear, Maxie better not try and control that girl's every move. She's not Maxie's doll she can dress up whenever she feels like it." He began to rant, and Sam smiled at him. He looked at her confused. "What? Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"You can try and hide it all you want, Jason. But you're already protective over that girl and it's only been a day." She smirked at him, and he didn't really know how to argue. She had a point. But he just couldn't help it. There was something about J.D. that he couldn't stay away from. "Come on, Jason. Let's try and figure out where we should start in finding out who she is."

Jason nodded his head. "Okay. Let's start then."


	6. Chapter 6

_hello again everyone. i'm trying to update as fast as i can, though these next couple weeks will be a little hectic, so you might have to hang in there for me. as far as who exactly J.D. is and what she's doing in port charles, that will be revealed soon, and yes, a few of you are definitely on the right track (if not completely right lol) so thumbs up to you people. also, since Prosperity Street is almost finished, i'll have a lot of time to work on this one, which is going to be much much longer. anyway, i hope you are all liking this and enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

J.D. had never been to a mall before. To be honest, she had never been to an actual store before. She got her clothes the past weeks while she was on the run from fair stands and thrift stores, places that were easiest to shoplift without being noticed. The clothes she stole were for comfort; she never cared how she looked. Clothes to keep her covered and warm, with pockets to hold the few objects she figured she needed. Her knife. The money she stole. And now, a few pictures she had managed to swipe from Jason's.

She didn't care for new clothes, she was used to what she had and she was comfortable with it. But Maxie was excited, and J.D. grew fond over Maxie over the past couple of days. If Maxie wanted to dress her up, she'd go along with it. For Maxie, the girl who helped J.D. get a step closer to everything she's ever wanted, and to fit in, which is something she knew she needed to learn how to do. She could only hide away in the shadows for so long before the truth would get out.

"He used to be this really cute guy, but I don't know. He got really old and ugly." Maxie had been chewing her ear off, sharing gossip of every person they passed by as they made their way into the large shopping mall. She watched as Maxie awkwardly smiled at the policeman standing by the doorway. "Been demoted to being a mall cop?" She snorted at him, more maliciously than friendly. Spinelli shot her a disapproving look.

The policeman rolled his eyes at her. "Got called in to break up a fight, Maxie. When I heard it was a bunch of girls in the mall, I almost assumed I'd be running into you." He snapped back, forcing a smile as if it were just a friendly joke.

Maxie smiled back as they continued to walk past him. She leaned over to speak in J.D.'s ear. "That's Lucky Spencer, he's, as you can tell, a policeman. So I'd just stay clear of him. The law isn't exactly friendly with Jason, and now that you're living with him, well, it'd just be best to avoid them altogether."

"Lucky is Cam, The Womanizing One's, father and Jake, Little Stone's, step-father." Spinelli filled J.D. in. "You know, the two boys who came to the residence of Stone Cold this morning." J.D. nodded her head in acknowledgement. J.D. motioned over towards Maxie. "Oh, just ignore Maximista's gripe with the Police Enforcer. Long ago they collided and have been tense with each other ever since."

Maxie let out a sharp laugh. "Basically, I helped him get the pills he was addicted to along with having an affair with him. His wife caught us, and suddenly I became the devil. Not that I wasn't, I actually planned on her catching us." Maxie shrugged. "But hey, I am who I am, right? No excuses, no regrets." J.D. smiled. She wished she knew herself as well as Maxie seemed to know herself. "But enough about Lucky," Maxie commented as they made their way over to one of the stores, "let's get you some clothes."

Back at the Penthouse, Sam sat on the couch, typing away at one of Spinelli's laptops. "I checked all the missing people reports in the area. There were a couple of teenaged girls reported, but none that match J.D.'s description. I'm going to do a wider search in a second. Shift through as many of these reports as I can. But there's no telling where she's from. She doesn't talk, so there isn't an accent we can listen for to give us a clue. She's very stone cold, like yourself, when it comes to emotions, so we don't even have mannerisms to work on." She knew she was rambling, but when she looked up to see if Jason was following her, she was shocked to see that he hardly looked like he was paying attention. "Earth to Jason." She waved a hand in front of his face, and he looked over towards her. "You with me? Because you look like you're on another planet."

"Sorry." He mumbled, looking back down at the picture that was still in his hand. "I was distracted." He folded the picture and stuck it in his pocket before turning his full attention on Sam. "After we go through all the missing people reports, what's your next step if we don't find a match?"

Her eyes followed his hand to his pocket. "What'd you just put in your pocket? What has you so distracted?" She pressed him. She knew Jason rarely got distracted, and when he did, she knew he'd push it aside if she called him out on it. She also knew that if it was something worth distracting him, it was something worth talking about. "Jason, come on. I know you probably better than anyone else in this entire world, so you might as well just tell me before I have to investigate and figure it out myself."

"Keep your P.I. work focused on J.D." He said, trying to dismiss the conversation.

Sam gave him a look. "Come on, Jason. Talk to me."

He let out a sigh. "Jake stopped by today." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Jake's baseball picture. "He wanted to bring me this."

Sam took the picture from Jason's hand to look at it. "Oh wow. He's getting so big." She fought back the feeling she was getting in her stomach as she looked at the picture. She hated that looking at a picture of a child could make her want to cringe. And after all these years, she hated that she still had that ping of jealousy when looking at Jason's son. "He's beautiful, Jason. How old is he now?"

"Uh, twelve." Jason said, a little unsure. Sam nodded her head and kept her eyes on the picture. "His hair's too long." Jason commented, not knowing what else to say.

Sam smiled witha a shrug. "It's the style nowadays."

"He's just copying that idiot brother of his." Jason mumbled, and Sam couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe, just maybe, hes trying to take after his father. You had long hair the first like year of that kid's life, after all." Sam told him with a smirk. "I mean, yeah it looked horrible, but hey, you made the choice to wear it like that, and he's making that choice now. At least long hair looks good on the kid."

Jason's eyes widened at Sam's comment. "My hair wasn't that bad." She shot him a look. "Okay, well, I guess it's safe to say he didn't get my hair." Jason took the picture back from Sam. "He did get my stunningly good looks though." Sam laughed, and Jason's smile faded a bit as he looked at the picture. "To be honest, I don't see myself at all in this kid. He's too good."

"You're good, too, Jason." She told him, and he paused for a moment to smile. Sam always had a way of making him feel okay with the simplest of sentences. "I think he's got blue eyes. He could have gotten those from me." He said with a shrug.

Sam looked at him. "You think he has blue eyes? Jason, he's your son, shouldn't you know things like this?" He looked away from her and shrugged, and she knew better than to press the subject matter at hand. "Let me see the picture again." He handed it back over to her. "His eyes are blue, Jason, but they are no where near as piercing blue as your own."

"But they are blue?" He asked, a sense of relief and a hint of a smile forming on his face. He hardly knew his son, but at least he did, in fact, know his eye color. Sam handed the picture back to him, and he stood up to go bring it over to the mantle. He stuck it in a double frame holding pictures of Michael and Morgan.

Sam watched Jason carefully. She knew he and Jake had a strained relationship, if you could even call it a relationship. He felt as though he was protecting Jake, but she wasn't sure she bought that. She wondered if Jake would be in any danger otherwise. She didn't believe he would be, but she wasn't his mother. As much as it still killed her, even though she wouldn't allow herself to ever admit it, she wasn't the mother of Jason's child. "Do you think it would have been different with our..." She stopped herself before the question finished coming out of her mouth.

"Our what?" Jason asked her, turning back around from the mantle.

Sam shook her head. "Nevermind. So Jake plays baseball?" She asked him.

"Yeah, uh. He just joined." Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, how's the missing person report search going?" He asked, obviously changing the subject away from his son.

Sam didn't call him on it. She wanted the subject changed, too. The subject of Jason's son, even though their romantic history was in the past and years had gone by, never got any easier.

At the mall, J.D. slowly made her way out of the fitting room, putting on a private fashion show for Maxie, who was enjoying herself immensely. "Oh! I like that one!" Maxie squealed, looking at the outfit she had picked out. J.D.

J.D. tugged at the short jean skirt Maxie had picked out for her, and pulled at the white leggings that accompanied it. The tight pink hoodie the brightest color pink J.D. had ever seen, and the brightest color she had ever put on. "I think I like the other top better though. I'm not big on hoodies. Did Spinelli pick that one out?"

J.D. just shrugged, and continued to pull on the skirt. "Stop pulling." Maxie scolded her. "I think I like the blue top and the purple top, you know, the first one you tried on? I think those looked best on you. And definitely the skirt. Not the white leggings though, I think we should get the grey ones. We should go find you some sundresses though. Oh! And some heels. Did you bring in the box with the silver heels I picked out?"

Picking up the box containing the silver heels, J.D. shook her head. "Why are you shaking your head at me? You need shoes. Those disgusting things you have are falling apart. They hardly support your feet. And they're disgusting." Maxie walked out of the dressing room, and J.D. followed her. "We could get you a pair of gladiator sandals if heels aren't your thing. Oh!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "Then we can get the khaki short shorts with that crew neck white short sleeve tee with that black flowy leather vest! Okay, I'm going to definitely get you the gladiator sandals."

J.D. made a face at Maxie. "What's the face for?" Maxie asked, frowning at J.D.'s obvious disapproval of the outfits she had worked hard to pick out. J.D. pointed towards the shoe rack and Maxie's gaze followed. "Converse sneakers? You seriously want Converse sneakers?" The classic black Chuck Taylors were on display and J.D. couldn't take her eyes off of them. "Come on, J.D. We're going to get the gladiator sandals." Maxie pulled J.D. away from the sneakers.

A half our later, they made their way away from the cash register to find Spinelli sitting on one of the benches out side of the store, thrilled to see they were finally finished. He made their way into the store and over to them, where Maxie handed the bags over to him. "Maximista, did you spend your entire paycheck on the Young Thief's wardrobe?" He asked her as he strugged with the bags.

"Just got her a few necessities." Maxie said with a satisfied smile as they made their way out of the store.

The smile was wiped right off of her face as the store alarm went off the minute J.D. stepped through.

J.D. was startled by the sound. She had never been inside a shopping mall or had never been in a store big enough for a security system before, and it was something she definitely didn't expect. Maxie groaned as she shot her a look. "Please tell me you didn't."

As Lucky Spencer, who was still in the mall, made his way over to the sound of the alarm, as well as the store clerk and manager, J.D. was almost tempted to run. She was going to, too, until Spinelli put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Young Thief. I'm sure the Jackal and Maxmista can work this out with Lucky."

"Excuse me, miss, but we need to check your bags." The store manager said to J.D., taking the bag from her hand.

Maxie immediately tried to come to the defense. "We just spent more money than you'll probably make in a day in your store. Why would we have to steal anything?" She did have a point, after all, even though she knew the moment the alarm went off that J.D. had taken something.

Lucky made his way over to the comotion. "Is there a problem here?"

"Yes, there's a problem. This girl just stole these from our store." The store manager said, pulling out the Converse sneakers out of J.D.'s bag.

Lucky turned to face Maxie and Spinelli. "The kid with you?" He asked Maxie.

Spinelli spoke out, knowing that Maxie against Lucky wouldn't be a very good end result for J.D. "If the Jackal may interject, Maximista and I found the Young Thie--The Young One-yesterday on the streets and are trying to lead her in the right direction."

"Yeah, Lucky. She doesn't know better. Just let her go." Maxie said, shrugging.

Lucky stared at the two of them. "Wait a second, you found her on the streets?"

"Don't you dare let her go! I'll press charges!" The store manager told Lucky. "I want you to arrest her right now!"

Maxie turned to glare at the store manager. "You shut up, I'll have you know that I am a huge contributor to your sales, and I will refuse to come back here, as well as tell Crimson to publicly bash your clothes." She threatened. Working for Crimson and making her way up the ladder for all those years gave her power there.

Lucky sighed. "Look, Maxie. Let's not cause a scene. I'm going to have to take her down to the station."

"Lucky, you can't be serious." Maxie argued with him, but Lucky didn't listen. He grabbed J.D. by the arm. She turned to Maxie and Spinelli, begging them with her eyes to tell her what to do next. "Lucky, she's just a kid!"

"A kid who needs to learn not to steal from my store." The manager chimed in, folding her arms around her chest. "I want her taken to the station, now!"

"Well, who asked you!" Maxie yelled back at her.

Lucky rolled his eyes. "Look Maxie, people are starting to stare, and the store manager is threatening to press charges. I need to take her to the station. Just follow me down there, we'll work things out there." He took J.D. by the arm and pulled her out of the store as he turned to make his way out of the mall.

Maxie followed behind them furiously. "What do we do now?" She asked Spinelli, who followed behind her. "Call Jason!" She commanded him.

He took out his cell phone and began dialing, mumbling under his breath, "Stone Cold isn't going to like this."


	7. Chapter 7

_Wow, I am so sorry that took me so long to update! I've been insanely busy and I'm going to do the best I can not to keep you guys waiting that long ever again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the update!_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sam found herself becoming more and more frustrated. Every missing person's report for New York had come up empty. Her wider search came up with nothing. And when she searched the whole country, not a single missing person's report she could find matched the girl Maxie had dubbed J.D. Jones.

"How could a young girl like J.D. not be reported?" Sam asked, groaning in frustration. "Someone has to be missing her."

Jason tried to think rationally about it. "Maybe she hasn't been missing long enough. You have to wait twenty-four hours to make one of those reports, and we've only had her for about that amount of time. Give it a day or so."

Sam shook her head. "Did you look at her Jason? She's been away from home for a while." Jason had to agree. Any kid as skinny and disheveled as J.D. had turned up definitely hadn't been home for a while. Or at least a home that wanted her.

"Maybe…" Jason began, and Sam looked over at him. He looked into her eyes and could tell that she was taking J.D.'s case more personally than she should be. "Sam, J.D. isn't you. I know you had a shitty childhood, but you can't assume that J.D. is anything like you."

"What were you about to say?" She questioned him. She knew that J.D. wasn't her. And she knew that J.D.'s childhood and past was more than likely a lot different than hers. But Sam couldn't shake something about this girl. Something that drew her to J.D. and made her want to help her no matter what.

Jason pulled Sam's focus away from the laptop she was typing away on by taking her hands. "Sam, maybe she's not in any of those reports because you're looking in the wrong place."

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"Maybe she's not a missing child. She steals a lot, Sam. Maybe she's wanted by the police. Maybe she escaped from Juvie or maybe she did something bad and ran and the police are after her or maybe—"

"Maybe no one's looking for her at all." Sam interrupted him with a stern voice, and Jason questioned her with his eyes. "Do you believe that everything happens for a reason, Jason?"

Jason raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I what?"

"Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?" She asked him again. When he just stared back at her confused, she began to elaborate. "That all the shitty things that happen in your life happen for a reason, that all those things were meant to happen?"

Jason scratched his head. "I don't know, Sam. That's a loaded question."

"Well I do, Jason. I believe that all the bad things happened in my life to make me who I am today." She told him, as he listened intently. "And I believe that Maxie and Spinelli ran into J.D. for a reason."

Jason let out a groan. "Oh, come on, Sam. Maxie and Spinelli found J.D. because she was careless and tried to steal Maxie's wallet. Not for any other reason."

"No, Jason, just listen. J.D. is good at stealing. Not that it's an admirable trait, but I caught her stealing things from you last night right from under your nose. And no offense to Maxie or Spinelli, but neither of them is one of the brightest people in the world. It was fate or something that J.D. got caught stealing from Maxie. And even more so that Maxie decided to bring J.D. here instead of calling the cops." Sam tried explaining to Jason. "We found J.D. for a reason, and I want to find out what that reason is."

"Sometimes things just happen. No reason needed." He commented back.

Sam shook her head. "Everything happens for a reason, Jason. You'll see."

Jason ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah? Then what's the reason behind Michael getting shot and being put in a coma for years before finally dying? Or the reason my son and I have nothing more than awkward conversations for a relationship? Or why you got shot all those years ago and now can't have any kids? Or, hell, why your baby girl had to die to begin with?" She fell silent.

She looked away from his gaze and he immediately regretted saying what he did to her. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the phone began to ring. Jason stood up off of the couch and answered it. "Morgan." Sam sat silently on the couch thinking about what Jason had just said. "They did what?" She looked up at Jason, who had become angry in what seemed like seconds. "Send Maxie and Spinelli home. I'll be right down to get her."

Sam watched as he hung up the phone and walk over to grab his jacket. "Something happen?" She asked, standing up from the couch and grabbing her own jacket. "Is everything okay?"

"That was Lucky. They had J.D. down at the police station." He opened his front door. "I need to go get her."

Sam nodded her head. "I'm coming with you."

Sam rode shotgun as Jason drove down to the Port Charles Police Department. He hated anything involving the cops, and he did his best to avoid them altogether. But Lucky had called saying he had J.D., and Jason didn't think twice about going to get her. Jason wasn't very different than Sam. He felt the same pull from this girl as she did.

They made their way into the police department and Lucky spotted Jason and Sam before they had to look very hard to find him. "Jason! Sam! Over here." He called to them, and they walked over to him. J.D. sat in a chair next to him, her eyes on the floor.

"Lucky, what happened?" Jason asked him, in a stern voice. Sam walked over to J.D. and took a seat next to her. She went to put her hand on J.D.'s back, but J.D. flinched away.

"Maxie told me she was with you, that's true I'm guessing?" Lucky asked, skeptically. "Since when did you acquire a teenage daughter?"

Jason glared at Lucky for a second. "She's staying with me until we straighten a few things out. What happened?"

"She stole a pair of sneakers from a store at the mall. She did a good job of it, too. The mall was full of people and not a single person in there saw her take them. I don't think she was expecting an alarm to go off." Lucky explained to them. "The store manager said she wouldn't press any serious charges so long as I took her down to the station."

Sam looked over at Lucky. "So can we take her then? No charges?"

"No, you can take her. She's young, we're letting her off with a warning." He told Sam, and then turned to face Jason. "But since she's staying with you, it'd probably be in your best interest to make sure she stays out of trouble."

Jason shot Lucky a look. "I'll do my best." He told Lucky, condescendingly. He turned to face J.D. "Go get in the car." He told her in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Come on." Sam said, and went to take J.D.'s hand. J.D. pulled away, but began walking to the car as Sam followed her. "We'll meet you in the car." Sam called behind her.

Jason nodded towards Sam, and looked back at Lucky. "Well, thank you, for not letting this become a big ordeal." Jason mumbled.

"No problem." Lucky told him. Jason nodded, and began to walk away, but Lucky reached out a hand to stop him. "So Cam let it slip that he and Jake stopped by your house this morning." Jason sighed, knowing where this conversation was going to go. "You know Elizabeth doesn't like them going over to your place."

Jason didn't get along with Lucky for a few reasons, this being top of his list. "I'm not a child you have to lecture, Lucky." Jason fired back. "Jake's my son, not yours. If he wants to stop by my house, that's between me, Jake, and Elizabeth. Not you."

"Jake may not be biologically my son, but I love him and help raise him and want to keep him out of danger as much as Elizabeth does." Lucky fired back, defending his position in Jake's life.

Jason heard enough. "I'll keep that in mind." He turned to walk away, as Lucky called back after him.

"Expect to hear from Elizabeth about it."

Jason rolled his eyes. "I look forward to it." He mumbled under his breath as he made his way out of the police station.

When he got to his car, he sat down in the driver's seat and slammed his car door shut. It startled Sam, who was in the passenger seat, and J.D., who was in the back. Jason hit the steering wheel with his fist before putting the keys in the ignition and turning the car on. Sam looked back at J.D., who was staring up at Jason with wide, fearful, eyes. "Jason, what's gotten into you? She stole a pair of sneakers, that's no reason to slam or hit things!" Sam scolded him.

Jason turned to look at Sam, confused for a moment. "What? Oh, no…I…" He looked over at J.D. from the rearview mirror. "Sorry. That wasn't about you." He mumbled quietly.

"Then what was it about?" Sam asked him.

He turned his attention back on the road. "Nothing. Mind your own business, Sam." Sam held her hands up in an "I surrender" kind of way, and sat back and focused her attention out her side window.

"So, you, listen to me." Jason suddenly snapped at J.D., who sat upright, giving him her attention. "That's strike two. One more and I swear to God I will throw you out of my house so fast you'll get whip lash."

"Strike two?" Sam turned to face him, defending J.D. "What, you skip strike one because you're suddenly in a bad mood?"

Jason shot her a look. "No, strike one was when your little charity case decided to attack me with a pocket knife last night." He fired at her.

"Do not call her a charity case!" Sam scolded him.

Jason let out a curt laugh and rolled his eyes. "Would you rather I treated her like a pet just like your best friend Maxie? Or maybe I act like your ex boyfriend Lucky and pretend I am God's gift to everyone's business!"

Sam's eyes opened wide at his comment. "Excuse me? First of all, Lucky and I dated years ago, and second of all, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Jason said again, and focused his attention back on the road.

"No, Jason. Lucky said something to piss you off, didn't he?" Sam pressed on further. "What'd he say? Was it about J.D.? Jake?"

"Sam, I said mind your own business! You don't know when to turn your P.I. mind off and leave me the hell alone." He snapped at her, immediately regretting doing so.

Sam glared at him for a moment. "Fine. Consider yourself left alone." She said, and turned over to face out the side mirror.

They drove in silence from there, and J.D. sat in the back watching the two in front of her with curiosity. The way they acted with each other, the thick tension that sometimes loomed between them. There was definitely something there. What it was, J.D. didn't know.

After a while, Jason couldn't stand the awkward tension filled silence anymore. Silence he liked, the tension he hated. "J.D., you don't have to steal anything, okay? I get that it's what you do, and that's fine, but it's going to get you in trouble and I would rather keep you out of trouble. If you want anything, you let me or Sam know. Until you find a way to tell us, or until we figure out, what your story is, we're going to take care of you, okay? So just…stop stealing." It was the best speech he could think to give her.

He glanced over at Sam who was smiling at him. He chuckled to himself. It often amazed him at how much the little things could make Sam smile. He kept her eyes on her for a moment, her smile keeping him calm and making everything about his relationship with Jake that had bothered him throughout the day disappear.

He watched as her smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a face of worry and anger all at once. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but she beat him to the punch, pointing her finger past his face and out the driver's side window. "Jason! Kelly's!"

Jason turned his head to look towards Kelly's, and when he did, he saw through the window's at Kelly's a few men in all black pointing guns at and threatening Mike. "Shit." Jason muttered, as he swerved the car into the parking lot. "Stay in the car." He ordered, and Sam just raised an eyebrow at him.

"That better have been only directed at J.D." She commented at him.

Jason looked at her for a moment. "Fine, let's go. J.D., stay in the car." He ordered her a second time, as Sam and Jason made their way out of the car and into Kelly's.

J.D. watched as they ran into Kelly's. She pressed her face up against the window to watch what was going on. She could barely make out the people inside of Kelly's. A man behind the counter was talking to the men with guns. Jason and Sam made their way in, and the gunned men turned their attention to them. She watched with wide eyes as both Jason and Sam pulled out guns. They were even more bad ass than she had originally thought.

She worried for the both of them, and it was a feeling she wasn't expecting to have. For Sam, maybe, just by default. But for Jason? She barely knew the guy for more than twenty-four hours, and most of the time he was hot and cold with her. A jerk one minute and a decent guy the next. And he was impossible to read. But for some reason, she couldn't help but worry for him.

And then she saw one of the men's face. And recognized it.

Fear soared throughout her body.

She watched as the man she recognized hit Sam over the head with his gun, and the chaos inside of Kelly's began.

Jason told her to stay in the car. It could mean strike three if she disobeyed him.

She watched as Jason fired his gun at one of the men, who managed to get out of the way and swing hard at Jason's face. Sam was behind held back by the man who hit her.

She reached for the door handle.

Jason and Sam and the man behind the counter were outnumbered. There were about six or seven, she couldn't really see, men in black attacking them. And they could get really hurt all because her curiosity and her need to find out more brought her into their lives. They could get really hurt and it would all be on her.

She couldn't sit back and watch anymore. She opened the car door and ran towards Kelly's.


	8. Chapter 8

_Yeah, so I know you are all going to hate me for this chapter a little bit inside, but before I go back to the trio at Kelly's, I'm going to cut over to the teens to establish them a little bit. Sonny's children will be somewhat important. Next chapter I'll go back so you can see the action at Kelly's, and I'll update as quickly as I can, so please don't hate me too much, hahaha. I know you all just want to read about JaSam, and i promise i'll get back to focusing on them right quick. Also, you can thank jb04 for me updating today. I wasn't going to until later, but she's stalking my fic, so I figured I'd give her an update, hahaha (and she should, in return, update Guardian Angel or the Space Between for me..hint hint). Oh, P.S., Carly is with Sonny in this fic. I don't have any explanation why, she just is. hahaha.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Like every high school, Port Charles High had it's cliques, and taking one look at Kristina Davis, it was no wonder that she was at the top of the senior popularity list. Her long brown hair had loose curls that fell right over her well developed breasts, and she showed off her fit body with tight clothes and short skirts. She wore mascara and eye makeup that made her eyes stand out, and lip gloss that made her lips look extra plump and made almost all teenage boys want to taste them.

Kristina wore what she wore and acted like she acted for a reason. It drove her father crazy. The only time her mob boss father ever seemed to remember she was alive was when her mother would call to tell him about a party she had come home drunk from or a compromising situation she had been found in. She knew what people said about her, and she knew the reputation she had made for herself. She didn't enjoy being called the school slut, but it was worth it for the phone call she would receive from her father telling her she should work on her school grades or having him take her out for lunch to have a father-daughter talk.

She was just so desperate for him to really see her, she didn't care what anyone else thought.

"Kristina!" The school bell had just rang, and she was at her locker fixing her hair in the mirror she had hung up in it, trying to decide whether or not she was going to bring her books home to bother doing homework. She turned down the hall in the direction of the voice that called out to her, wondering who it was and what they wanted, though she had a pretty good guess at what it was they wanted. Guys usually only called out her name for one reason, after all.

She rolled her eyes and focused her attention back on the mirror in her locker when she realized it was Cameron Spencer. "Go away, Cam. Been there, done that, and I hate to break it to you, but it wasn't anything special." She reached onto the top shelf to grab for her tube of lip gloss, accidentally knocking one of her text books onto the floor in the process. She stared at Cam for a moment. "Aren't you going to pick that up for me?"

"No, I'd rather you bend over and pick it up." He said with a smirk on his face. "And I'm not here about that, because, like you said, been there done that, and newsflash honey, it wasn't all that great for me either." He fired back at her.

Kristina glared at him. Though he was part of the same clique as her, Cam Spencer was like having the sniffles. Annoying as hell and never seemingly going away. "Then stop wasting my time and pick up my book."

"If I pick up your damn book will you consider doing a favor for me?" He did his best to smile his most charming smile at her, but she didn't buy it. She folded her arms across her chest, and rolling his eyes, he reached down and picked up her book. "Here. Happy now?" He said as he handed it over to her.

She took the book from him and threw it into her locker. When she realized he was still standing there, she turned back to face him. "What do you want, Cam." She asked in an exasperated voice.

"Your sister, Sam. She's really close with Mr. Morgan, right?" He asked her, leaning up against her locker and getting approving looks and smirks from the guys who walked by them.

Kristina raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you can say that. They're like best friends. You can cut the sexual tension between them with a knife, though they never seem to notice."

"Yeah, I don't know why people even bother to fight something like that. Speaking of, you and I should do something about our thick sexual tension sometime soon. I'm free tonight." He said, smiling at her.

She glared at him. "The only thick thing I want to cut with a knife right now is your skull. Can you please just cut to the chase?"

"Well, gee. No need to get violent." He said, backing away a bit from her in a mocking way. "Daddy issues or not, you apparently have no problem showing your Corinthos side."

She grabbed him by the shirt in a threatening way. "Keep my father out of this, you hear me?"

He pushed her off of him and straightened out his shirt. "Jesus, Kristina. Learn to control your emotions. I could really care less about your father or your issues with him. Personally, I don't know why you or my brother even bother caring. Mobsters shouldn't have children. End of story."

"Cut to the chase before I decide this isn't worth my time at all, listening to you." She told him, and waiting impatiently for him to continue.

"There was a girl at Mr. Morgan's place when my brother and I stopped by this morning." He began.

Kristina rolled her eyes. "It's always about a girl with you, isn't it."

Cam smirked, ran a hand through his hair, and shrugged. "I looked around for her at school, but she either doesn't go, or she goes somewhere else. And I'll admit, she's a pretty looking thing and I'm interested in making her my new conquest. Plus, I'm interested in why a teenager girl would be hanging out at Mr. Morgan's place."

"Just because your brother isn't allowed to go over Jason's doesn't mean the rest of the teenage population can't." She told him, feeling the need to defend her sister's friend. "I go over there all the time when I need to find Sam."

"Good! I knew I could count on you!" He said excitedly, and she kinked her eyebrow in confusion for a second. She didn't agree to do anything. "Just go ask your sister about this girl. Or, hell, go over to Mr. Morgan's and just find out for yourself. Either way, get back to me."

Kristina slammed her locker shit. "Find out for yourself."

"Oh, maybe she's got something to do with the mob! In that case, you may want to go claim your territory before she starts hanging out with your daddy." He smirked at her. He was raised witnessing how manipulation really works, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't pick up the trait.

"I swear to God, Cam, I'll--"

"Ms. Davis!" She turned around to look at the voice that interrupted her. She watched as the school guidance counselor, Mrs. Cox, made her way over to her.

Cam took this as his cue to leave. "Well, I expect you to get back to me with information." He turned to walk away. "See you later, doll face." He called over his shoulder as he made his way out.

"Ms. Davis, I'm glad I caught you before you left." Mrs. Cox said as she approached her. "Are you going to be seeing your brother anytime soon?"

"Morgan?" Kristina asked, and Mrs. Cox nodded her head. "Uh, I'm not sure. I mean if it's important I guess I can go out of my way." When it came to Morgan, Kristina had a soft spot. And it would also be an excuse to go over to her father's house.

"I have some papers for his mother to fill out regarding his home schooling. If you could bring these to her, I'd really appreciate it. They were supposed to be mailed out last week, but got caught under some files, and I really need them back as quickly as possible." Mrs. Cox explained to Kristina.

Kristina thought about it for a moment. "Uh, I guess I could go stop over there before I head home." She said awkwardly, and Mrs. Cox handed the papers over to her.

"Now these are important, Kristina, so please don't be careless with them." Mrs. Cox warned her. Kristina rolled her eyes. She knew she had a reputation, but she would never do anything to screw her brother over.

"I'll take care of them." Kristina mumbled back to her. Mrs. Cox nodded her head in approval, and walked away. Kristina turned to reopen her locker, and grabbed out one of her textbooks. She decided she would do a little bit of her homework, afterall.

Cameron Spencer took his time getting home from school. He stopped off at his usual spots, meeting up with a few guy friends and whistling at the girls as they passed by. By the time he actually made it home, his family were already sat at the dinner table, waiting to serve dinner. "Cam, could you at least be home on time one of these days?" His mother, Elizabeth Spencer, scolded him.

"Are we eating yet?" He asked, taking his seat at the table.

"We were just about to start." Lucky Spencer answered him.

Cam smirked. "Then I'm right on time."

They ate in comfortable silence, for the most part, with Elizabeth interjecting to ask her boys how their days at school were. When they finished eating, and both Cam and Jake got up to clear their spots, their mother stopped them. "Wait a minute, you two. Sit back down. Your father and I want to talk to you about something."

Jake turned to face Cam. "You ratted us out, didn't you."

"Dad called me during lunch and asked why we didn't take the bus. I slipped. No biggie." Cam said, defending himself.

"It is a...biggie." Lucky told his oldest step-son. "You know how much your mother worries about you two being around Jason. Especially you, Jake. We've talked about how dangerous he is."

"And taking it upon yourself to go over to Jason's without telling us is careless." Elizabeth told them. "Who knows what kind of mob war you could be walking into and suddenly your making forts to hide from Russians."

Cam raised an eyebrow at his mother. "...Okay..." He commented, motioning with his finger around the side of his head to his younger brother that their mom was crazy. "But there isn't a mob war going on. I'm pretty sure we'd get wind of it if there was. Things seem pretty calm around town lately and Jake just wanted to bring Jason his baseball picture."

"Even if there isn't a mob war going on, that doesn't make Jason any less dangerous." She told her oldest son, then turned to her youngest. "And I told you we would mail Jason that picture."

"I wanted give in to him in person." Jake quietly told his mother. "I haven't seen him in a long time and I just wanted to give it to him in person."

"Jake, you know your mother only has your best intentions in mind. That being said, why didn't you just tell us? If anything, we would have discussed possibly inviting Jason over here so you could give him the picture." Lucky interjected.

Jake slowly shook his head. "But you wouldn't have."

"Jake, I'm ending this conversation. I know you're too young to understand, but I am doing this for you. Jason is dangerous, and I'm sorry it has to be this way, but one day you'll be thanking me for this. Now go upstairs and do your homework." Elizabeth said, in a tone that left no room for discussion.

Jake nodded his head, and slowly rose from the table, placing his dish in the sink and making his way up to his room. "Maybe you should figure out a way to compromise with the kid, mom. He just wants a relationship with his father." Cam said, sticking up for his younger brother.

"Stay out of this, Cameron." Lucky warned his son.

"Alright, fine. By the way, did you know that there's a girl apparently staying with Mr. Morgan? And let me tell you, she isn't bad to look at." Cam told Lucky.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her son in curiosity, but Lucky stepped in before she could question him. "Stay away from that girl, Cam. She's no good. I caught her shop lifting from a store at the mall this afternoon."

"So wait, she's staying with Jason and she steals?" Elizabeth questioned Lucky, and then turned to face Cam. "Stay away from her." She then turned her focus back on Lucky. "Why is she staying with Jason?"

Lucky shrugged. "I don't know. But Sam showed up at the PCPD to pick her up with him. So I don't know if she's with Sam or with Jason."

Elizabeth turned to Cam a second time. "Stay away from her." She said more sternly than the first time.

Cam laughed. "Whatever. Can I go to my room now?" He asked, and Elizabeth nodded her head. He, unlike his brother, left his plate on the table, and got up to head upstairs.

Carly Corinthos answered the door to find Kristina on the other side. "Kristina! What a pleasant surprise. Come in." She said, and the younger girl made her way into the house. "Sonny is with some business people right now, but you can wait around for him if you want. I don't mind."

"Uh, thanks I will, but actually I'm not here for Sonny." Kristina handed the papers over to Carly. "The school guidance counselor stopped me in the hall. She gave me these for you to fill out."

Carly took a look at the papers. "Oh! These must be about Morgan's diploma for the spring. Thank you for bringing these over."

"His diploma? So Morgan gets to graduate in the spring, too?" Kristina asked her.

Carly smiled. "Yeah, he's been doing really well with his work and could have probably graduated already if I didn't make him slow down. He's in his room, you want to go say hi?"

Kristina nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah I'd like that."

Carly led Kristina up the stairs and down the hall towards Morgan's room. She knocked on the door and slowly opened it. "Morgan? Someone's here to see you."

Morgan was sat on the floor with his eyes focused on the T.V. screen while he played a video game he had come to love over the years. He didn't look up from the game. "Hi Morgan." Kristina said with a smile.

Morgan slowly turned to look over at her, smiled a little bit, and then focused his attention back on the video game. Morgan had, what doctors had decided, social issues caused by traumatic experiences in his childhood. He was quiet, and he kept to himself. He didn't enjoy the company of anyone he wasn't familiar with, and he barely talked unless completely comfortable with whoever he was talking with.

It wasn't until his older brother Michael died that his problems began to show. He became anxious and quiet. Going to school was a challenge every day, and eventually he couldn't go at all. Carly did her best to give him a normal life, and seeing a therapist weekly helped, but he wasn't there yet. The result of having a father in the mob finally catching up to him.

Kristina looked over at Carly, and with a nod from her, Kristina made her way into Morgan's room, taking a seat next to him on the floor. "What are you playing?"

Morgan didn't answer her at first, and Kristina almost didn't expect him to at all, but he quietly did. "It's called Halo. That guy is me. You shoot those things."

Kristina made a face. "I don't like violent games. Too much blood." She commented.

"It's okay though. You only shoot the bad guys. I don't shoot the people." Morgan explained to her, and she looked over at him, his simple comment laced with so much underlying meaning.

Sonny Corinthos finished up with his meeting and when the men he was meeting with left, Carly found him to tell him that Kristina was with Morgan. The two made their way over to Morgan's room and slowly opened the door to watch the two for a moment. Kristina listening as Morgan explained to her all about the video games he played. "You know, I know Kristina has a reputation, and not a nice on at that, but seeing her with Morgan, I forget all about it. It's like she's a different kid than what we hear about her."

"She is a good kid. Just like Michael was a good kid, and just like Morgan is a good kid." Sonny told Carly. "She just acts out. It's just a teenage thing, she'll get over it." Carly raised an eyebrow at her husband, but said nothing. "Kristina, let's go in my office and talk for a second." He called out, letting his presence known.

Kristina nodded at her father, and turned to Morgan. "I'm going to go, but I'll be back and maybe you can teach me how to play, okay?"

"Okay." Morgan told her. "Come back soon, I have an extra controller you can use."

She smiled at her brother, and got up to follow Sonny into his office. "Thank you for bringing over Morgan's graduation papers." He opened with.

"No problem. School counselor gave them to me. I didn't really have a choice." She lied.

"Speaking of school, your mom tells me your grades fell again last semester. Any chance they'll be improving for this one?" He asked her. She was used to this type of chitchat with him. It was always about her grades. He checked in on how she was doing, and that was about the extent of their relationship.

Kristina shrugged. "I don't know. I'll keep you posted."

"You know, you really should be trying harder at school. You want to keep your grades up so you can get into a good college so you can get a good job and support yourself and grow into the woman I know you can be." Sonny told her, and she just nodded her head. Some days it wasn't worth arguing with him. It only made things worse. "Well, I have a lot of work to do and it's getting late, so you should probably head home so your mother doesn't have to worry."

"Yeah. I should go." She said, and got up to start heading towards the door.

Sonny walked with her and as she made her way out the door, he called back to her after a moment. "Oh, Kristina." She turned around with a smile, wondering what he wanted to say. "You should come by more often. Morgan really loves you."

"Right." She told him, and continued walking. When he shut the door and was out of earshot, she added, "do you?"


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay, i've made you all wait long enough for this. here's the continuation from 2 chapters ago! enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"Jason! Kelly's!"

Jason turned his head to look towards Kelly's, and when he did, he saw through the window's at Kelly's a few men in all black pointing guns at and threatening Mike. "Shit." Jason muttered, as he swerved the car into the parking lot. "Stay in the car." He ordered, and Sam just raised an eyebrow at him.

"That better have been only directed at J.D." She commented at him.

Jason looked at her for a moment. "Fine, let's go. J.D., stay in the car." He ordered her a second time, as he and Sam made their way out of the car and into Kelly's.

When they got to the door, Jason held a hand out to stop Sam from barging into the place. He looked over at her, and when her eyes met his, letting him know that she was ready to do this, he nodded and kicked through the door. "Put your guns down! Now!" He yelled, and the men dressed in black all jumped at the sound of his voice.

Sam stood next to him, her gun pointed at them as well, and the two of them stood their ground waiting for the men to make their first move. The men's eyes opened wide, and Jason could have sworn he saw a couple of them smile. "Put your guns down, now!" He repeated.

One of the men stepped forward. "We'll put our guns down when we get our information." He motioned his gun towards Sam. "And I think your pretty gun totting girlfriend can help us out."

"Don't mess with her, man. You know he wants to deal with her himself." Another one of them men said.

This caught both Sam and Jason's interest. "Who wants to deal with me?" Sam asked, and Jason took a step in front of her, suddenly worried for her wellbeing. She took a step forward, getting back in front of Jason. "Who sent you, and what information are you looking for?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The first man told her.

Jason didn't like having the other side in charge. "Or you'll tell us right now so I don't have to put a bullet through your head."

The men all began to laugh. "Now, you two can come in here swinging your guns around all you want. There's still the fact that there are six of us, and two of you. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm thinking those odds aren't very good. So why don't you two turn around and walk out of here before somebody gets hurt." Another man stepped forward to say.

Jason knew the guy was right. They were way outnumbered. He needed to show that he was in control, that this was his game and he intended on winning. Without another word, he fired his gun, shooting one of the men standing in the back right in the chest. He fell to the ground, still alive but hurt badly. The other men paused for a moment, staring at their fallen man twitching on the ground. "You shouldn't have done that." The first man said, walking over so he was right in front of both Jason and Sam.

"Yeah? And why not?" Jason asked, ready to fire the gun a second time into this man's skull.

The man smiled. "Because we fight dirty." In one swift, quick movement, he took his gun and bashed it into Sam's head. She flew back from both the shock and the pain of the impact.

Jason fired his gun as the first man ducked away and grabbed Sam, holding her arms back so she couldn't get away and couldn't use her gun. Her head was bleeding from where she was hit in the head, and she was doing everything she could to stay conscious. "Don't hurt her!" Another man yelled at the one who was holding Sam.

"Jason, look out!" She yelled, and he turned to find one of the men charging him. He shot, and the man fell. He looked up and saw as two more of the men were coming at him. He fired, missed, and one of the men swung hard, hitting him square in the face.

Sam struggled against the man who was holding her back as she watched four or five men attack Jason. "No, no, Sam. You need to stay away from this fight. We don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

"How...how do you know my name?" She asked him, chills going up her body at the sound of her name coming out of his mouth. "Who sent you here?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he grabbed her face and pointed her eyes in Jason's direction. "See your boyfriend? He's a fool. And he's going to be taught a lesson for not turning around and leaving this place like I told him to."

Sam fought harder against the man's grip as she watched Jason take on all of the other men. He was out numbered, and before he even had a chance to shoot another one of the men, four of them stood around him, their guns pointed at his head. The man holding Sam walked forward dragging her with him. He, too, pointed his gun at Jason's head. "I'll give you one more chance to turn and leave. Either that, or we all fire bullets into your skull." The man told Jason.

"Let go of Sam." Jason commanded.

Almost all of the other men laughed, as if it was the most ridiculous request ever. "No, Sam comes with us. We can't bring our boss what he sent us to find, Sam will be a good enough bargaining chip to save our asses."

Jason shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere without Sam."

"Jason, they're going to kill you." Sam yelled out at him. "Just get out of here, I'll be fine, I can handle this."

"Okay, I'm not playing this back and forth love banter, so either you leave or we shoot you. You have three seconds." The man told Jason. "Three...two...o--"

Before the man could finish counting, he felt a swift punch to his face and a kick in his stomach that propelled him a few feet back, and causing him to release Sam. Confused, everyone stared for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Both Sam and Jason gasped when they realized J.D. had somehow managed to make her way into Kelly's and free Sam without a single one of them noticing her. "Grab her!" Another one of the men yelled, snapping everyone out of their haze, and all focus left Jason as every single one of the men left standing made their way towards J.D.

Jason took the focus shift as a blessing, and he managed to grab one of the men and bash his head into the ground, knocking him unconscious. Sam, now free, took her gun and fired at one of the men trying to grab J.D.

Sam and Jason both watched in amazement as J.D. managed to maneuver her way around the men as they all tried to grab her. She kicked and punched at them, and held her own. She wasn't a skilled fighter, as Sam and Jason had grown into being. She didn't kick or punch with technique, but they couldn't deny that she could defend herself better than almost anyone they had ever seen before.

There were three men left, and while Jason found himself practically wrestling with one of them, the other two were gunning for J.D. The man who had held Sam hostage was on the ground, and he slowly sat up, laughing. "You really think you could escape without him coming after you? Big mistake, little girl. You know you're going to be punished badly for this when we bring you back."

"You mean if you bring her back!" Sam yelled, standing behind him, her gun pressed into his head. "Because she's not going anywhere with you."

A gunshot went off in the distance, and Sam saw the man who was wrestling with Jason moments before fall to the ground, blood pouring out of his head. Jason looked over towards her, and she nodded, letting him know she was okay, and he made his way over to J.D., who was struggling to keep the two men at arms length. "Miss Sam, I promise you, even if you manage to kill all of us tonight, he'll still get her back."

"Tell me his name." She commanded him, pushing the gun into his skull.

The man laughed and shook his head. "Like I said, Sam. You'll find out soon enough."

J.D. ducked as one of the men jumped for her. She kicked out her leg and tripped the second. She was fast, she was swift, and she knew how to keep herself from getting hurt. She has been defending herself from pain her entire life. But she was scared. She was afraid they were going to bring her back to them and she was afraid for Jason and Sam. Another gunshot went off, and she saw as one of them men who were trying to attack her fell to the ground. She heard a second gunshot, and watched as the second man fell.

She looked up and came face to face with Jason's smoking gun. He lowered it and looked at her, and she felt his eyes bore into him. He kept his hard eyes on her for a few seconds before turning away from her completely and making his way over to Sam. Mike made his way from out of the counter and over to J.D. to make sure that the kid was okay. "What am I going to do with all the bodies here?" He asked Jason.

"I'll call someone to take care of it." Jason told him and then came face to face with the man Sam was holding at gunpoint. "Tell us who sent you."

This time, the man said nothing at all. "He's not going to say, Jason. What should we do to make him talk?" Sam asked.

"Move. We're going to get out of here and take him with us. We'll get him to talk." Jason said, and Sam moved out of his way, keeping the gun pointed at the man as Jason went over to grab him and get him off of the ground.

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot went off and a bullet went right through the man's head and he fell to the ground, dead, with Jason's hand still holding on to him. Sam jumped back, and Jason looked over to see who on earth fired the gun.

One of the men on the floor who the thought was dead was sitting up, a smoking gun pointed at his own man he just shot. J.D. walked over and kicked him in the head, hard, knocking him back out. To make sure he wouldn't make another quick move, Jason fired his gun at him, ensuring he was dead. "He's dead." Sam said, checking out the body of the man they were about to make talk. "Why would that guy shoot his own man?"

"To make sure he kept quiet." Jason told her, and walked over towards Mike and J.D. He grabbed J.D. by the arm. "Mike, stay here. I'm going to send someone over to take care of this mess. Don't let anyone else in here until then." Mike nodded his head, and Jason, pulling J.D. with him, made his way out of Kelly's, Sam following them.

Jason threw J.D. into the front passenger seat of the car, so Sam hopped in the back. He began driving and turned to face J.D. "You need to start talking right now. Who were those men and why are they after you?"

J.D. said nothing. She kept her eyes down on the floor, knowing that Jason was pissed and was not going to let her off the hook. Not anymore. "Jason, maybe we should just wait until we get back to the Penthouse." Sam interjected.

"No, Sam." He looked at her through the rear view mirror and took note of the fact that she was getting a huge bruise on her forehead from where she was hit with the gun. "You alright? You got hit pretty hard."

"I'm fine, Jason." She told him, and he relaxed a bit.

He turned his attention back on J.D. "You aren't just some kid on the run. Those men were after you, and I need answers. Now!" J.D. closed her eyes tight, afraid of what Jason would do if she didn't give him the answers he wanted. A few tears managed to escape, and Jason saw them. He took a deep breath. "You're in trouble, aren't you? And I don't mean by the police or anything like that. You're in real trouble, aren't you? These guys who are after you...you aren't safe."

J.D. hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head no. "Is Sam safe?" Jason asked her next, having overheard everything the one man was saying to Sam.

Again, J.D. shook her head no.

Jason felt his blood run cold. "Jason, let's just go back to the Penthouse, okay? We'll try and talk more there." Sam said, trying to keep him calm. He nodded his head, and the three of them drove the rest of the way in silence.

When they walked through the door of the Penthouse, they were immediately greeted by both Maxie and Spinelli. "J.D.!" Maxie yelled running over and pulling J.D. into a hug. "I am so sorry, did they press charges? Did Jason threaten to kick you out? God, I am so sorry!"

"Maxie, now is not the time. You need to leave." Jason ordered, almost completely forgetting about J.D. getting arrested in the first place. It had been a long day.

Maxie stood her ground. "I need to talk to J.D."

"Not now, Maxie." Jason told her firmly.

"Fair Samantha! Are you okay?" Spinelli asked, noticing the bruise on Sam's forehead.

Sam smiled at Spinelli's concern. "I'm fine, Spinelli. It's kind of a long story."

"One that can wait until tomorrow. J.D., go sit on the couch. Spinelli, I need you to go upstairs and stay out of the room. Maxie, you need to leave." Jason ordered again.

Maxie didn't move. She ignored Jason completely. "J.D., I owe you a huge apology. I know that you stole the sneakers without any help and that, yes, it's totally your own fault you got caught, but I should have just bought you the stupid sneakers in the first place."

"Maxie, seriously, now is not the time!" Jason told her through gritted teeth, but Sam placed a hand on his back.

"Just let her talk." Sam said softly, and Jason grudgingly backed off.

Maxie took a step closer to J.D. "I brought you into Jason's place, and you're now surrounded by four people who would never change for anybody, no matter what. We are who we are, no excuses. And we all would never tolerate being put through what I put you through today. If you don't want to dress how I dress, that's fine. I guess. I mean, you can learn a lot from my fashion expertise, but if you want a pair of converse sneakers, I need to back off and let you wear them. So from now on, I promise I'm going to try and treat you like a friend, and not like a doll I can dress up and make into a Maxie clone. You don't need to be me, and I'm sorry I tried to make you that way." Maxie turned around and took a step over to the couch, picking up a shoe box and handing it over to J.D. "I bought you the converse sneakers. But I didn't return the gladiator sandals. I'm stubborn, so maybe you can wear them at least once for me."

J.D. weakly smiled at Maxie and nodded her head. Maxie walked over and pulled her into a hug, which she tensed up at for a second, before easing into it. "Okay, now that Maxie showed that she has a soul, you need to leave."

"Fine, I'll leave." She said, breaking her hug with J.D. "I'll call you later Spinelli. Put some ice on that before your whole face turns greenish purple, Sam. And...it was pleasant as always, Jason." She made her way out the door, and Jason closed it behind her.

The rest of them stood in silence for a moment, and getting the hint, Spinelli made his way upstairs, leaving the three alone. "Promise me I won't regret keeping you safe." Jason suddenly asked J.D. She nodded her head. "Go upstairs into bed. It's getting late and you had a long day. We'll talk more tomorrow." She nodded her head and hurried up the stairs into her room.

Sam stared at him for a moment. "That's it? You practically screamed at her in the car, but you're just sending her to bed?"

"She promised I won't regret it. And I promised you I'd keep her safe." He told her with a shrug. "She's in danger, and we need to figure out why. I'm officially invested into this case, Sam."

Sam smiled a victory smile. "I knew you'd see it my way eventually. I'm going to head right home and try to piece some of this together. I'm going to be completely invested into this case, as well, Jason. I won't let you or J.D. down." She turned to the door so she could get home and start using her P.I. skills to figure this together, but Jason grabbed her by the arm.

"No way, Sam." He said, and she looked at him confused.

"No way, what?" She asked him. "You just said you were invested in this case. You don't want me working on it?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't want you going to your place where you stay alone. J.D. is in danger, but in the car she admitted to you being in danger, too. I don't know what those guys want with you or J.D. And I don't even know if there is a connection between you and J.D. But even if there is the slightest possibility that you are in danger, I'm not letting you go back to your place to stay alone."

"So what? You're going to send a babysitter with me?" She asked, slightly annoyed. "One of your guards? Jason, I can hold my own, you know that."

"I do know that. But I'm not taking that risk. You'll just stay here." He decided for her, shocking both of them when the words left his mouth. "You take my bed. I'll sleep on the couch." He didn't know why, but the thought of Sam being in his bed made his stomach flip flop a bit.

Her stomach flip flopped, too. "Jason, I'll be fine."

"Please, Sam. Just until we figure this out a bit." Jason told her. "We need to figure this out. And I need you safe. Just...please."

"Okay." She said, surprising him a bit. "I'll stay."


	10. Chapter 10

_Thanks for the feedback guys! now that a lot has been established i'm going to try and focus mostly on jason and sam, though a lot is going to go on, and they are slowly going to piece together who J.D. is, though most of you already know. oh and so you don't get confused, the beginning italics is a dream sequence. so anywho, enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

_Sam didn't know where she was, just that there was an overwhelming gloom about the place. Her first instinct told her it was a cemetery, but she couldn't see one single tombstone. It was dark, and she squinted to try and make one out, but there was nothing. Just the soft overturned dirt below her feet and the haze of the fog in her eyes. _

_"Sam?" She heard a voice calling out to her, and she looked around for where it was coming from. It was a familiar voice, one she hadn't heard in years, and no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't quite place it. "Sam?" The voice called again._

_She could hardly see through the fog, and it frustrated her. "I'm here, I can't...I can't see anything."_

_"Turn around, Sam." The voice commanded of her, and she when she did, she could see the outline of a figure standing a few feet ahead of her, covered by the fog. She didn't move, she held her ground and braced herself, getting ready to defend herself if she would need to. "Don't be afraid, Sam. It's me." _

_The figure took a step forward and the fog began to disappear. Sam's heart leaped into her throat when he came into view. The first thing she saw was his Phillies hat. The rest of him she saw next through tear filled eyes. "Danny?"_

_She ran over to her brother and threw her arms around him. He held her and she cried a bit before he broke the hug and looked into her eyes with a serious expression she had never seen on his face before. "We need to talk, Sam." _

_Sam looked at him with concern and curiosity, and she remembered the last time he had visited her in a dream. "Am I dying?" She asked suddenly, remembering how he appeared when she was struck down by the virus._

_"No, Sam." He told her, and she eased up a bit. "But you are in danger." _

_"What kind of danger?" She asked him. He began to walk past her, and she followed him through the fog that fell back around them. "Danny, please. What kind of danger?" She asked him again. _

_He continued walking as he answered her. "He wants you, Sam. He's wanted you for a long, long time. If you aren't careful, you can lose things you've already lost. But if you are careful, you can get back everything that you already lost." _

_"Danny, I don't understand. Please, just tell me. Who wants me? What can I lose?" She asked, getting a queasy feeling in her stomach at the way her brother talked in circles._

_He suddenly stopped short and she nearly walked right into him. He pointed a finger out into the fog, and she followed it with her eyes to see what he was pointing at. She could see the outline of someone kneeling down through the fog, but who it was she couldn't tell. She looked over towards Danny, who nodded at her, and she began to walk towards it._

_Just like with Danny, the fog suddenly began to disappear, and she felt her stomach tighten and she stared at the young girl in front of her. J.D. was kneeling in front of what looked like a grave, wearing nothing but shorts and a sports bra. Sam could see clearly all of the scars and bruises she wore on almost every inch of her bare skin. "J.D.? Jesus, who did this to you?" She asked, making her way over to comfort the young girl._

_J.D. didn't move. She stared straight ahead with a look of contempt on her face, her eyes dark. "Come on, J.D. Let's get you back to the Penthouse." Sam said. She turned around to ask Danny for help, but he was gone. Disappeared into the fog. _

_"You did this." Sam jumped at the sound of J.D.'s voice. It dripped with bitterness and was laced with hatred. A voice she didn't expect to come from such a young girl. _

_"I...what?" Sam asked, taking a step back from the girl. _

_J.D. turned her head to face Sam, the look in her eyes giving Sam chills throughout her entire body. "You did this. He wants you, Sam. It's all your fault. You did this!" J.D. stood up off the ground and yelled at Sam, loud. Her voice echoed eerily throughout the area._

_"I didn't...what did I do?" Sam asked, trying to figure all of this out. _

_"You did this!" J.D. continued to yell, taking step after step closer to Sam. "This is all your fault!" _

_"I didn't...I'm sorry...I don't know..." She couldn't even form a complete sentence. _

_"Sam, wake up!" _

_The fog suddenly disappeared for good, and taking steps backwards away from J.D., she tripped over something and fell to the ground. Looking up to see what she tripped over, she saw it was a tombstone. It read Samantha McCall. She tripped over her own tombstone. _

_"Sam, wake up!" _

_She looked away from the tombstone and back over to J.D., who was now standing next to Danny. He handed his Phillies hat over to her, and Sam watched as J.D. put the cap on her own head. Danny wrapped an arm around her and looked over towards Sam. He nodded. "Wake up now, Sam." _

"Sam! Sam, wake up." She shot up in bed, sweat pouring from her forehead and tears falling from her eyes. "Sam, you were having a bad dream, it's okay." She slowly calmed down as the bedroom came into focus and she realized she wasn't in a cemetery anymore, she was in Jason's room. "Sam, are you okay?"

She looked over to come face to face with Jason, who was knelt at the side of the bed, looking at her with concern and worry. "Yeah, I'm fine I just...bad dream." She wanted to ask him how he knew, why he was in the room to wake her up, but she didn't care. She was just glad he was there. "J.D.?"

"Is in her room." Jason answered her question. "And Spinelli is in his, and you are safe." She nodded her head slowly, but she couldn't stop herself from shaking. She couldn't even stop the few tears that were still falling from her eyes. Jason brought his hand up to her cheek and rested it there, wiping away a few of her tears with his thumb. "You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "I don't even want to think about it anymore right now." Jason nodded his head and got up off the ground to head out the door and back downstairs to the couch, but Sam quickly grabbed his arm before he could. He looked back over towards her. "Please, Jason. Don't leave."

Looking into her tear filled eyes, he couldn't say no, and when she scooted over in the bed, he climbed right in. She cuddled right into his side, holding onto him tightly, as he wrapped his arms around her to protect her from whatever dream had her so upset. He didn't let go of her, and he didn't close his eyes to sleep, until her soft crying finally stopped and she fell asleep herself. Even then he didn't want to sleep. He just wanted to stay awake and keep her safe the rest of the night.

J.D. quietly made her way down the stairs, pen and paper in hand. She knew she wasn't the best writer in the world, never having been taught how to, and picking up how to spell mostly on her own, but she knew she had to write down something. After the encounter at Kelly's, she realized she had been spotted, and it was only a matter of time before he pieced together that she would have gone directly to Sam.

She also knew how desperately he wanted Sam, and she wouldn't help him get her. She put both Sam and Jason in enough trouble as it was, and she couldn't stick around and wait for everything to come crumbling down around her. She wanted answers, she wanted to stick around Sam to find out her story before moving on to Sonny, but she now realized how selfish she was being. These people had lives and she wasn't apart of them, and her presence would only bring danger to Port Charles. Danger that could, and would, kill everyone she would come in contact with.

She relaxed a bit when she realized Jason wasn't asleep on the couch like she had expected him to be. She had caught a lucky break, and though she wondered where he went to, she knew she didn't have time to stick around to find out.

She placed the piece of paper and pen down on Jason's desk, and looked around before slowly opening the desk drawer. Deep in back of the drawer she found some cash and one of Jason's guns, and she took both. She headed towards the door before turning back around and heading over towards the mantle, taking the picture of Jason, Sam, and Spinelli that had caught her eye the first time she had stepped foot in the Penthouse. Taking it out of the frame, she stuck it in her pocket, and quietly headed out the door.

The morning came and the sun shone through the window hitting Sam's face. She blinked a few times and suddenly became very aware of the fact that her arms were wrapped around Jason's waist, and her leg wrapped over his. Butterflies attacking her stomach, she jumped out of the bed and fell flat on the ground, the noise and sudden movement waking Jason. "How'd you get down there?" He asked her, watching her as she climbed off the ground in amusement.

"I, uh, fell." She said, and he rolled out of the bed and held a hand out to help her off of the ground. She took it, and he pulled her up, and they stood in awkward silence for a moment.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jason asked, breaking the silence.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "About me falling off the bed?"

Jason laughed. "No. About whatever you dreamed last night that got you so upset." Sam fell silent. "Come on, Sam. Sit down." He sat back down on the bed and patted the spot next to him. She slowly made her way over and sat down next to him. "What happened last night?"

"How did you know to come calm me down?" She asked him suddenly. "When I woke up, you were right there. How did you know?"

"I, uh. After everything that happened yesterday I couldn't sleep. And I figured I'd check on the three of you upstairs just to make sure everything was okay, and I tightened security. J.D. was awake, but she seemed okay, and Spinelli was fast asleep, but when I went to check on you, I could tell you were having a bad dream, and I just wanted to wait and make sure you were okay." Jason explained to her. "When you started getting really upset, I knew I had to try and wake you."

Sam smiled weakly at him. "Thank you. And thanks for staying with me last night. I'm sorry if it was awkward or uncomfortable or the last place you wanted to be."

"Sam, it was the only place I wanted to be." He told her, and she blushed as she looked away from him with a smile on her face. "Now, can you tell me what happened?"

Sam took a deep breath. "It was bizarre. I was in a cemetery, but it was really foggy so you couldn't see anything. And then Danny appeared."

"Your brother?" Jason asked her.

She nodded her head. "Yeah. And I remembered how I dreamed of him when I was dying from the virus, so I asked him if I was dying. He said I wasn't, but that I'm in danger. And he said something about me losing things I lost or I don't really know, I didn't understand him."

"I can see why you'd get upset from that. Not only was it your brother, but hearing that you're in danger. Especially after what we found out with J.D. yesterday." Jason tried to rationalize.

"That's just it. Danny brought me over to the other side of the cemetery, and J.D. was there. And she was all cut and bruised up and she just looked so angry and dark. And she spoke to me." Sam explained.

Jason found that interesting. "She spoke to you?"

"Yeah. In this deep, dark voice that was horrifying to hear. And she told me that everything was my fault. That I did this. And then I tried to get away and I tripped over a grave. My grave." She shivered at the thought, and Jason wrapped a protective arm around her.

"It was just a dream." He told her.

She shook her head. "I think Danny was trying to tell me something, Jason."

"Like what?"

"There has to be some reason why this guy who sent those men after J.D. could want me. Maybe I have some sort of connection with J.D. Or maybe J.D. is the bait and we took it. Or maybe--"

"Maybe it was just a dream." Jason interrupted. Sam shot him a look. "Or maybe one of the things you said. But you need to just relax and we'll work together and figure this out. I'll keep you and J.D. both safe until we solve this, okay?"

Sam opened her mouth to speak, but there was a knock at the bedroom door. They both turned to find Spinelli standing there with an eyebrow raised. "The Jackal was not expecting to find both Fair Samantha and Stone Cold in the same room."

"What do you want, Spinelli?" Jason asked, not liking the interruption.

"I have news that is most peril." He walked over and handed what appeared to be a note to Jason. "It seems that the Young Thief has departed."

"What do you mean? J.D. left?" Sam asked, ripping the note out of Jason's hands before he got chance to read it. "Shit, Jason, she's gone." Sam got up off of the bed. "I'm going to get changed real quick, you two do the same. Spinelli, call Maxie, tell her what's going on. We need to find her."

Jason took the note back from Sam as she frantically grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom to change, and Spinelli went to grab his cell phone to call Maxie.

_Jasin,_

_Tel Sam and Maxy I am sory. _

_-JD _

Jason ran his hand through his hair and hurried downstairs. He knew how invested Sam was into J.D.'s case, and after her dream last night, he knew that she wasn't going to rest until they found J.D.

He walked over to his desk and opened the drawer. "Maximista is on her way over. Should someone stay here in case the Young Thief returns back here?" Spinelli asked.

"That's a good idea, Spin. Maybe Maxie will stay behind and the three of us can go out and look for her." Sam said, making her way down the stairs.

Jason slammed his desk drawer shut, startling both Sam and Spinelli. "She took a gun. She's not planning on coming back."

"We need to find her, Jason, before she puts herself in danger." Sam begged him. "Please, let's just go find her."

"Maybe it's best we just let her go." Jason said, and Sam glared at her. "You're taking this too personally, Sam."

"I need to find her." Sam said, her dream not leaving her mind. "Either you two help me or you don't, that's your call. But I need to find her."

Spinelli looked over towards Jason, waiting his response. Jason nodded his head. "Then let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

_Yay, i managed to write another update. I'm gonna try and get the next one up either later tonight or tomorrow, too. Enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Kristina Davis stood at the docks doing her best to clear her head. After a fight with her mother, she stormed out of the house without looking back. Knowing her mother, the entire town of Port Charles would be looking for her within the hour. But that would most likely include her father, and knowing that he was thinking about her, even if it was only because she got into a fight with her mother after coming home late from another party, it was worth it.

It wasn't even a good party. A house party with some of the kids from school that turned into a drunken mess. Even Cam Spencer had left the party before it even really started, knowing that it was going to turn into a disaster. Kristina didn't have fun, and she envied Cam's individuality and ability to just leave the party. She wanted to leave, too. She didn't want to stay with those kids as they drank and turned into a bunch of drunken fools. But she did, because she knew word would get back to her father one way or another.

She didn't even drink. She really just sat there the whole party, wishing time away so she could just leave and go home. Of course, when she told her mother she didn't drink, her mother didn't believe her. And during fights like that one, Kristina wondered if in her pursuit of getting a relationship with her father, she was ruining the one she had with her mother.

She walked over to sit down, and buried her face in her hands. It was going to be a long day.

She hadn't slept yet, and it was already morning, and she felt herself begin to drift off. She heard a sound come from what sounded like the bushes, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes closed and attributing it to the wind. When the noise came even louder, she tried to continue to ignore it, but she began to realize it wasn't just the wind.

Opening her eyes, she came face to face with a little bit of a younger girl, with the same build and look Kristina had. Startled, she jumped, and fell off of the bench she sat on. "Jesus Christ! Must you sneak up on me like that?"

J.D. stared at Kristina, who sat on the ground after falling off of the bench. She knew she should just keep walking, she needed to get out of Port Charles before Jason or Sam could find her. But she was amused by Kristina, and figured a few minutes with this girl wouldn't hurt. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

Obviously, J.D. didn't say anything, and after a few seconds of what seemed like a staring match between herself and Kristina, Kristina stood up off the ground and put her hands on her hips. "You're starting to bother me. This whole deer in the headlights thing you've got going on is a little bit annoying."

J.D. only blinked in response, and Kristina, though frustrated with her, began to soften at the realization that this girl reminded her of her brother. "Can you talk?" She asked. J.D. looked away from Kristina. "My brother Morgan doesn't talk much either. And only to certain people. Are you headed home?"

J.D. didn't have time and couldn't afford to be questioned. She kept her eyes away from Kristina and began to walk away, but Kristina grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. "Look, why don't you come back to my mom's place with me. If you need help, she can help you get it." Kristina offered.

The grip Kristina had on her arm startled J.D., and reaching into her pocket in one swift move, she pulled out Jason's gun and pointed it at the older girl. Kristina let go and took a couple of steps back, holding her hands up in surrender. "...Or maybe I should take you to my dad's place instead." She commented after seeing the gun. "Or maybe you work for my dad and this is all a setup!"

J.D. raised an eyebrow in confusion at her. "Can you please just put the gun down? Don't you know who my father is? Sonny Corinthos. If you shoot me, he'll come after you!" She threatened, starting to get a little afraid of the gun pointed at her.

J.D. slowly lowered the gun the moment Kristina stated that her father was Sonny Corinthos. "Look, obviously you are in some kind of trouble. Why don't you put that gun back in your pocket and I'll take you to my dad's place. He knows people and stuff, and I'm sure he can help you out." Kristina said. She figured she could use this girl to kill two birds with one stone: help out this girl, who reminded her a lot of Morgan, and get her dad involved, which would give her some of his attention.

J.D. hesitated. On the one hand, she needed to get out of Port Charles and into hiding. He was after her, and it was only a matter of time before he figured out her exact location, especially after the mishap in Kelly's. On the other hand, could she really leave without at least seeing Sonny Corinthos?

"Come on." Kristina said with a smile. "But I'd advise you keep your gun hidden. My dad's a little...intense."

J.D. followed Kristina to Sonny's door, and after she rang the bell, they waited for someone to answer. J.D. couldn't help but stare at the guards Kristina seemed to not notice, or to just ignore being used to them. J.D. wasn't sure what Sonny did for a living, but she could already tell Kristina was right. He was intense.

The door opened, and the two girls were greeted by Carly. "Kristina! Thank God, your mother called, she's worried about you! Come inside." J.D. looked over towards Kristina, unaware that she was on the run as well. "Who's your friend?" Carly asked as they made their way into the room.

"Uh, a friend from school." Kristina quickly answered, then changed the subject. "My mom called here?"

"Yes, and you are going to call her right now and tell her that you are here and okay and that I'll be bringing you home." Carly ordered, walking over and picking up the phone to dial Alexis Davis' phone number.

Kristina let out a groan. "Can't I just talk to my dad instead?" She asked, not really in the mood to talk to Alexis.

"He's in a business meeting, and I'll let you wait around to see him before I take you home." Carly dialed the number, and when it began ringing, she handed it over to Kristina.

J.D. seemed to have disappeared into the background while Carly and Kristina stood by the phone calling Kristina's mother, so J.D. decided to walk around the house and scope out the place. She figured living in a place like this, Sonny Corinthos wouldn't notice if some cash was missing, or a few knickknacks she could take to sell on the street.

She began to get distracted by the pictures that were hung on the wall on the way up the stairs, and she recognized the little red headed boy from the picture at Jason's place. Michael. There were a lot of pictures of him and another boy, who was also in some pictures at Jason's.

There was a family photograph of Carly, the two boys, and a man who she found safe to assume was Sonny. She stared at the picture for a moment, a million questions running through her head that she knew would most likely go unanswered. She continued her way up the stairs, shaking the questions out of her mind.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she heard what sounded like faint gunshots coming from behind one of the upstairs rooms. Curious, she headed over towards it and pressed her ear against the wall. She continued to hear gunshots and what sounded like explosions, and curiosity got the better of her as she opened the door to peer inside.

She was surprised to find a boy about Kristina's age sitting on his bed with a controller in his hands. She recognized him as the other boy from the photographs on the wall, and followed his gaze over to the T.V., where she realized the sounds of gunshots and explosions were coming from. She opened the door a little more to get a better look, and it creaked, catching the attention of Morgan.

She held her ground and he stared at her for a moment. She looked like Kristina, and for a second he thought it was. But then he realized he had never seen this girl before. "You aren't Kristina." He said in a quiet voice. J.D. just shook her head.

He didn't like most visitors, especially ones he didn't know, and any other time he would have freaked out. Instead, he turned his head away from J.D. and focused on his video game, playing as if she hadn't interrupted him at all. She watched him carefully, not exactly knowing what was going on. She had never seen a video game before. She walked a little more into the room, careful as to not disturb Morgan, and watched the T.V., curiosity and confusion written all over her face.

Morgan noticed it. "You want to play?" He felt comfortable around her, which is something he didn't feel much around anyone. She didn't answer him, she just looked at him with soft eyes, and he handed his controller over to her.

She stared at the buttons, not exactly sure what on earth she was supposed to do. She moved the joystick with her thumb, and her face lit up with excitement when she realized in doing so, she had made the man on the T.V. screen move. She continued to move him around the land for a bit, exploring the land on the T.V. screen, when suddenly a million ugly creature looking things popped out behind a big hill, attacking her with lasers and guns and arrows.

Startled, she used the joystick to turn the guy and make him run away, but Morgan told her no. "You have to shoot them! Press the X button!" She looked down at the controller, found the X button, and pushed it like Morgan told her to. She shot one of the creatures, and it fell dead. She smiled, a short lived victory when she realized there were about twenty more still alive. "Keep pushing it!" Morgan told her, excitedly.

She did as he told her and frantically began to push the X button, taking down a few more creatures. But no matter how fast she pushed the button, it seemed like they shot at her a lot more than she was shooting at them. Morgan laughed, the sound of his laughter causing her to smile. "You suck." He commented, then pointed at the screen. "Shoot him! Over there! Look out!"

The sound of Morgan's voice rung out throughout the house, and as Kristina hung up the phone after getting an earful from her overbearing mother, and as Sonny finished up with his business meeting, all three of the others in the house shot up in attention. "Shoot him! Look out!" Carly was the first to begin running up the stairs, followed by Sonny who ran out of his office, and Kristina who followed closely behind them.

Sonny reached Morgan's door first, running passed Carly as they made their way up the stairs. He swung it open and paused for a moment at the scene in front of him. Carly froze, too, a smile making its way on her face as she heard the sound of her son's laughter, something she hadn't heard in a long, long time. Sonny looked at the girl sitting next to him, and looked behind him at Kristina, doing a double take to make sure it wasn't Kristina who was sitting with Morgan.

J.D. suddenly became very aware of how Morgan suddenly fell silent, his eyes pointed at the ground. She looked at him curiously, when suddenly she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, and looked over at the door, her eyes meeting Sonny's. She froze.

Carly walked in through the door and over to Morgan, wrapping her arms around him for a hug, happy to have heard her son laugh and not wanting to let that feeling go. Kristina stayed in the hallway behind Sonny, who glared with hard eyes at J.D. She kept her eyes on him, studying his every feature.

He took a step forward into the room. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my home?"

"She came with me, daddy. I found her by the docks and she doesn't talk and she looked like she was in trouble." Kristina said, taking a step forward.

Sonny turned to glare at her. "So you brought her here? Are you crazy Kristina? First you run off, worrying your mother half to death, and then you show up here with some random girl you found off the street, and let her roam around my house?" He was angry, and Kristina just slowly nodded her head in response.

"She reminded me of Morgan." Kristina told him softly. "And I wanted to help her. And I thought you'd do this for me."

Sonny took a deep breath, bringing his hand to his forehead to rub his temples. "This isn't really my thing, Kristina."

"If Morgan ran away and someone found him on the streets, wouldn't you hope that they'd help him?" Kristina fired at him. Who could argue with that? "And I'm asking you to do this. Can't you do this for me?" She was playing all her cards at once.

"Sonny, why don't you call Jason? Maybe he can put in a favor with Spinelli and Sam. They can use their P.I. firm to bring this girl home." Carly suggested, Kristina's comment about Morgan immediately getting her concerned.

J.D. stood up at the sound of Jason's name. This was bad. She needed to get out of here, but the only entrance was being blocked by Sonny. "Sit down." Sonny commanded her, with a voice so stern, she was too afraid to disobey it.

Morgan was beginning to feel overwhelmed, and Carly could tell. "Let's all get out of Morgan's room and deal with this down in the living room." She told them, and led both J.D. and Kristina down the stairs, followed by Sonny.

"Carly, why don't you take Kristina home." Sonny told her, and Carly nodded her head.

"No, I don't want to go home." Kristina argued. "Can't I just stay here with you while you figure this out?"

Sonny shook his head. "Carly is going to take you home, Kristina, so your mom and you can talk about what happened last night." Kristina opened her mouth to argue again, but Sonny cut her off before she could. "I'm doing this for you, can't you just do that for me?"

She glared at him, responded "fine" through gritted teeth, and followed Carly out the door. Sonny looked over at J.D., who was sat nervously on the couch, and pointed a finger at her. "Don't move." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the speed dial number for Jason.

"Morgan." He answered before the first ring even finished.

"Jason, it's me." Sonny said, glancing over at J.D. "I need you to do a favor for my daughter."


	12. Chapter 12

_i apologize for the lack of jasam last chapter, but no worries, here they are! hope you enjoy the update!  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"Jason, Come on. If we split up we can cover more ground and I'm sure we'll find her!" Sam ranted as they made their way back into the Penthouse. They had been looking all night and all morning, but had come up empty. No one they had asked had seen J.D. And she didn't leave a single trace. They didn't know her well enough to trace her. And finding a teenage girl who hardly makes any noise and doesn't speak at all proved harder than locating a needle in a haystack.

Jason closed the door and gave Sam a look. "Not a chance, Sam, we've gone over this. I'm not letting you walk around Port Charles blindly looking for this girl when you could be in trouble."

"Jason, seriously, we don't even know much about me being in trouble other than the fact--"

"Other than the fact that J.D. told us so. And that those men in Kelly's were particularly interested in you." Jason interrupted her. "We aren't splitting up. End of story."

Sam, frustrated, sat down on the couch and folded her arms and legs as she pouted. "End of story for who, Jason? For J.D.? The kid we took in and decided to protect who is now out there in only God knows what kind of trouble? I know you never wanted her here and I know you don't particularly care, but I do, Jason. I can't explain it but I just need to find her and figure her story out. I'm drawn to her. And after everything with those men and my dream, I just know I have some sort of connection to her."

Jason sighed and made her way over to the couch. "First of all, Sam, I do care that she's missing. It pisses me off that she took off, and I want to find her just as much as you do. Especially because she has answers I want to get about who those men were and what they want with both her and you. But I am not risking your safety to find her. I do care, Sam, but I care about you a lot more." Sam's expression softened. "Second of all, I'm not just gonna give up searching, either. Maxie and Spinelli are still out looking, and I'm going to place a call with my men, okay?"

Sam nodded her head. "Okay. But can we go back out and look for her?"

"How about you eat something first and we wait to hear from Spinelli and Maxie?" He suggested.

As if on cue, the Penthouse door swung open, and the duo made their way in. "Okay, does anyone else think that wandering around aimlessly looking for a girl we barely know is kind of completely useless?" Maxie began ranting the moment she stepped through the door.

"For once I actually agree with Maxie." Jason said, and Maxie stopped short and stared at him for a moment.

"Did I hear that right? You agree with me?" She asked, slightly amused. "Can you say it again?"

Jason shot her a look. "Maximista should probably quite while she is ahead." Spinelli commented.

"So what, Maxie? You want to give up looking, too? What is wrong with you and Jason! You brought her here, you found her and you brought her here. And Jason? You promised me you'd keep her safe. Why didn't you stop her before she left!" Sam began to yell at them. Jason, Maxie, and Spinelli all stared at her for a moment.

"Sam, I'm just suggesting we come up with a better plan." Maxie told her. "Are you okay?"

"You're taking this too personally, Sam." Jason told her. "If she took off well enough, there is a very big possibility she is gone for good. We've hardly known her for more than a couple of days. It might just be best."

Sam didn't say anything. She couldn't explain the strong feelings she was having. But after learning that the men in Kelly's wanted Sam just as much as they wanted J.D., and after Danny visiting her in her dream, she couldn't shake the feeling that something big was at play here. And she couldn't just let J.D. slip out of her fingers. "If I may make a suggestion? Why don't Fair Samantha and I head over to McCall and Jackal's P.I. office to use some of the equipment there to try and find a lead on the Young Thief's whereabouts?"

Sam smiled at Spinelli. "That's a great idea." She looked over at Jason, who didn't seem to be too pleased with the idea. "Oh, come on, Jason. It's not like I'm going to go out on my own. Spinelli will be with me. And it's to my own office. If you think you're going to babysit me until we figure this out, you're crazy."

He knew she was right. She would probably resort to punching him in the face if he babysat her or tried to protect her too much. He looked over towards Spinelli. "Keep an eye out on her for me?" Spinelli nodded his head. "And you, Sam." He addressed her. "Take a gun with you. Keep your eyes out for anything. And call me if and when anything goes wrong."

"Relax, Jason. I can hold my own." She told him seriously.

He nodded. "I know you can. I just want you safe."

She smiled at him. "You and Maxie need to keep looking for her, too."

"We will." He told her, and she and Spinelli left the Penthouse. Jason turned around and suddenly became very aware that he was alone with Maxie, who was giving him an amused look. "You can leave."

"When are you and Sam going to just admit you love each other and roll around on that pool table of yours?" She asked him bluntly. He stared at her. "Oh, come on. Who do you think you are fooling?" She began to speak in a deep, monotone voice, mimicking Jason. "Oh, Sam. I need you safe. I'm in love with you. Have my babies."

He shot her a dirty look. "Shut up, Maxie."

"What, Jason? You know I'm right." Maxie said, sounding quite confident.

"I'll admit I'm in love with Sam the day that you admit you're in love with Spinelli." He challenged her.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Spinelli and I are just friends."

"So are Sam and I." He fired back.

"Oh, come on, Jason. It's been years. You knocking up Elizabeth, the one night stand queen, Webber and Sam going crazy and letting the illegitimate child get kidnapped and that whole mess happened so long ago it feels like it's another lifetime." Maxie began to ramble.

Jason had to agree. It did feel like another lifetime. "Watch it, Maxie." He warned her, not wanting to go down that particular trip of memory lane.

"You and Sam are different people now, that's all I'm saying." Maxie told him with a shrug.

He was about to tell her to stop talking and to back off the subject, when his cell phone began to ring. He motioned at her to not talk to him so he could take the call. "Morgan."

"Jason, it's me." He heard Sonny's voice speak through the phone. "I need you to do a favor for my daughter."

Jason sighed, not exactly in the mood to deal with Kristina's rebellious ways. "Kristina in trouble?" He asked, thinking that he should probably just call Sam to deal with it.

"No, no. She's fine. She just asked me to do something for her, and she's my daughter and you know how she's been lately, so I really want to do this for her, even if it's not really my type of thing." Sonny began to explain. "I need you to call in a few favors. And maybe you can get Sam and Spinelli's P.I. business involved?"

Jason listened carefully. "Involved in what?"

"Kristina brought this girl over, and she's really shady. She won't talk and--"

"J.D." Jason said, completely shocked.

"Excuse me?" Sonny asked, confused.

"Keep an eye on her Sonny, she's with me. She ran away last night. She's really quiet and a skilled thief and she knows how to fight. Just don't let her leave your sight, she's extremely quiet. You'd be surprised how easily she disappears into the background." Jason started to instruct Sonny as he grabbed his jacket to put on.

Sonny was quiet for half a second before he started talking again. "What? What do you mean she's with you? Who is she? She's a skilled thief and knows how to fight, and you just want me to keep an eye on her? You're going to have to explain a bit for me, Jason."

"I'll explain when I get there. Just don't let her leave your sight." He ordered Sonny again, before hanging up the phone. He turned to face Maxie, who watched him, waiting for an explanation as to the conversation she only heard half of. "Call Sam. Tell her J.D.'s at Sonny's and I'm going to go get her. Have her meet us back here." He ordered her.

"I'm coming with you." Maxie said, and grabbed for her own jacket. "I'll call Sam on the way."

"No." Jason said, stopping her. "You stay here." Before she had any time to argue with him, he was already out the door.

Sonny hung up his phone and turned to stare at the young girl sitting on his couch. "Do not move from that spot." He said, pointing a finger at her. By the things Jason was saying about her, he wasn't sure he wanted her in his house. At least his business meeting was over. It was just him and her and Morgan upstairs.

She didn't speak, and he didn't know what to say. He continued to look at her, taking in her complete appearance. When he saw her sitting next to Morgan in his room, he could have sworn for a second she was Kristina, up until he remembered that Kristina was standing next to him. But he couldn't, no matter how much he tried to, deny the fact that this girl sitting in his living room was nearly identical, though there were some differences, to his daughter.

Jason said she was a thief. And that she could fight. And she didn't talk and she looked like Kristina. That was enough right there to make him paranoid about her sitting in his house.

J.D. watched Sonny just as carefully as he watched her. She could immediately tell that her presence was making him nervous. He stood strong and tough, not wavering, but the little things gave him away. He shifted his weight from one leg to another. He continued to look her up and down. Little things he did that she, herself, would do if she didn't trust someone.

He fascinated her in a different way than Sam. His home put the penthouse to shame. And his children interested her. Michael, the dead boy, Morgan, the quiet boy she had played video games with. And then there was Kristina, who she didn't know much about, other than the fact that being held at gunpoint didn't startle her as much as J.D. thought it would, and she, too, had been running from home when she found her.

They definitely weren't the children of a happy, stable home she had expected most families had.

Sonny reminded her of Jason, but he was different in many ways she was able to spot right away. They were both, by outward appearances, tough and hard. Neither one of them appeared to be the type of person you'd start a conversation with on a bus. On the contrary, if you were on a bus with either of them, you'd probably sit as far away as possible.

But at least looking at Jason, she could see the tenderness in his eyes. And she felt safe and comfortable around him. She felt things with Jason she had expected to feel with Sonny. But she felt nothing except for fear looking into Sonny's hard stare.

The doorbell rang. J.D. jumped a bit in her seat, and Sonny pointed at her, a stern motion that told her not to move. He walked away from her and over to the door, opening it to reveal Jason. "She still here?" Jason asked.

"She is, but I need some kind of explanation here, Jason." Sonny told him sternly. "Because there's a shady girl sitting in my living room, who doesn't speak a damn word, who you tell me steals and can put up a fight, who looks exactly like Kristina--"

"Wait." Jason said, interrupting him. He hadn't thought to compare her looks to Kristina before. Why would he? But now that Sonny mentioned it..."She does look a lot like Kristina, doesn't she." He commented.

"Tell me what's going on, Jason. Should I be worried? Am I under attack?" Sonny asked, and Jason had to fight the urge to make an amused face at the fact that Sonny could get that paranoid about a girl who couldn't be any older than Kristina, if even that old.

Jason sighed and started from the beginning, explaining everything he knew about J.D., which wasn't much. He explained how Maxie and Spinelli found her, he explained her staying at the Penthouse. He explained the men at Kelly's and Sam's dream. After he finished, Sonny just nodded his head. "She could be really connected to Sam, then. I mean, Kristina is Sam's sister. Maybe this girl is somehow related to them?"

"That's what I'm starting to think." Jason agreed with Sonny. "Look, I'm just going to take her back to the Penthouse. I'll keep you posted on anything Sam or Spinelli finds out about her so you can report back to Kristina."

Sonny nodded his head. "Is there anything I can do? I mean, I told Kristina I'd do this for her. I'd like to help however possible."

"I'll let you know, Sonny." Jason told him. "Right now I just need to get her back to the Penthouse."

"Okay." Sonny told him, and stepped aside to let Jason into the house. "She's over on the couch." He pointed, and Jason looked back at him curiously.

"Which couch?" Jason asked.

Sonny looked at him confused. "What do you mean, which couch? That couch." He turned and pointed and then became quiet. J.D. was no longer sitting on the couch. "Shit, she was just there a second ago. I didn't even hear her move." He said, as they quickly moved throughout the house to see if they could spot her.

"Damn it. I told you she was quiet." Jason said, about to freak out, when he looked out the window and spotted her making her escape. "There she is, I'm gonna grab her and take her back to the Penthouse. I'll call you with any details I find out." He said, and before saying anything else, ran out of Sonny's place to catch up with J.D.

J.D. made a run for it the minute Sonny turned away from her to answer the door. She didn't know what Jason would do, and she didn't know how much danger she could put him and Sam in by staying with them. She knew going with Kristina to Sonny's was a bad idea. She just couldn't resist.

She was about to make her way around a corner, when suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist, and arm around her mouth, and pushing her up against the wall. She was about to fight back when she realized it was Jason, and relaxed a bit. He lowered his hand from her mouth, but continued to hold her against the wall. "Two rules." He told her. "One, you always keep your hands in a position to grab the gun from your waist if you are attacked. And two, don't steal my fucking guns ever again."

When he was sure she wasn't going to run, he let go of her. She stared at him for a moment. He looked into her eyes. "You left because you're worried about us?" He asked her, and she nodded her head, still amazed at how easily he could read her. "You're coming back with me. You, Sam, and I are going to have a talk before you decide it's best to take off on us. You hear me?"

His voice left no room for discussion. She slowly nodded her head, and he grabbed her by the arm, strong enough so she couldn't get away, but loose enough so it didn't hurt her. "Come on. We're going home."


	13. Chapter 13

_here's the next chapter. i'm pretty sure it's no secret who JD is anymore, but i'm not gonna come out and say it, for the sake of my readers who still enjoy the element of "surprise", though its going to be overly clear these next few chapters. anyway, hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for the feedback.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

The ride back to the Penthouse was quiet. It wasn't an awkward quiet, it was just quiet. Jason wasn't going to go out of his way to be the "chatty" one, and he enjoyed the silent company as he drove.

As they made their way over to the Penthouse door, he stopped before opening it. He turned to face J.D., who was standing meekly behind him. "The moment I open this door, you are going to be attacked by Sam and Maxie, and forced to be overwhelmed by Spinelli's ramblings. Even if you could talk, you wouldn't be able to get a word in. Now, they care about you and are concerned for you, and we're all going to sit down and talk, but before I open this door and let you walk into the pack of wolves in there, is there anything you want to tell me?"

J.D. watched him curiously, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't ready to say a word. Not yet.

Jason nodded his head, and opened the door. J.D. hardly got her foot in the door before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her tightly. "Thank God!" Maxie shrieked into her ear. She broke the hug and swung her pocketbook into J.D.'s side, hitting her fairly hard. "What is wrong with you! Don't you go running away like that ever again!"

"Maxie, give the girl some room to actually get in." Jason said, pushing Maxie out of J.D.'s way. Sam and Spinelli stood right behind Maxie, and Jason knew that if he didn't organize this immediately, they would all start talking at once, and nothing would get accomplished. "J.D., go sit over on the couch. The rest of you, find a seat."

"Family meeting, Stone Cold?" Spinelli asked, and Jason shot him a look.

J.D. sat to the right of the couch, and Maxie followed to sit right next to her, followed by Sam who took the couch cushion to the left. Spinelli took the chair, and Jason stood, and it all seemed to be going in order. They all sat in silence with their eyes on Jason. "Well, you called this meeting. Aren't you going to start talking?" Sam asked him.

"This isn't really my thing." Jason told her, and she laughed. "Sam, do you have a picture of Kristina with you?" He asked her.

"Uh, yeah. In my wallet. Why?" She questioned him. "Did something happen when you were over at Sonny's? Is Kristina okay?" He smiled at the concern Sam showed for her younger sister.

Jason shook his head. "Can you just go get it for me, please?" She looked at him curiously, but got off of the couch to get her wallet anyway. He turned to face J.D. "Running away was a really stupid idea. Obviously there is someone out there who is after you. I don't know why or who, and since you won't open your mouth it doesn't seem like this will be easy to figure out, but you're just a kid. And we said we'd protect you. You really think you can make it by yourself out there?"

"Jason, she proved she could fight yesterday at Kelly's." Sam interjected, and then closed her mouth when she realized she wasn't really helping Jason prove his point. She handed over the picture of Kristina to Jason without looking at it, and turned to speak to J.D. "We were worried about you. I was worried about you. I understand that you might be scared, but you can trust us. We're going to help you."

"Yeah, I mean, Jason is one of the most bad ass guys I know. He won't hesitate to kill in order to accomplish what he has to." Maxie interrupted with a shrug. "If I was in danger, I'd rather be standing behind Jason and his big guns, no pun intended, instead of out on the streets alone."

Jason rolled his eyes at Maxie. "What Maxie is trying to say is that you are safe here. And even if that puts us at a risk, we're okay with that. We don't need you running away to protect us. Trust me, we can protect ourselves."

Sam looked from Jason back over to J.D. "Is that why you left? To protect us?" J.D. just looked away from Sam's gaze. "That isn't your decision to make, you understand me? We are in this. One hundred percent. You can run and you can try and keep us away, but it won't work. That's not a decision you can make for someone."

"Says the woman who ran away more times than I can count when you were staying with me when you were pregnant." Jason attempted at a joke.

Sam turned to shoot him a look. "Says the man who broke up with me in the hospital after I got shot."

"Touche, Fair Samantha." Spinelli joked, but J.D. stopped listening. It was the first time that anyone said anything to confirm who Sam was to her. She had been pregnant. Jason just said so. But if that was true, and the pieces all fell together, where did that leave her? What had happened back then to now?

"Hey, pay attention." Maxie snapped her fingers in front of J.D.'s face to break her out of the zone she found herself in. "I think what you need is to start being treated and acting like a real kid. Like, hang out. Have some fun. Get away from all this brooding danger." Maxie paused for a minute. "You know what? That's not a bad idea. I'm going to go plan something awesome to get you acting like a real child and put some fun into your life." Maxie jumped off of the couch and grabbed her purse. "Spinelli, I'll call you later. Bye, Sam. Try not to bore everyone to tears during the rest of your little meeting, Jason."

Jason watched as Maxie closed the door behind her as she left. "Well, not that it's gone, we can get back to seriousness." He commented.

"Stone Cold, if the Jackal may, I think you should go a bit easier on Maximista. She is only trying to help the Young Thief, as is yourself." Spinelli interjected.

Sam laughed. "Don't worry, Spinelli. Deep down, Jason cares about Maxie just like the rest of us do, they just bicker like siblings." Jason rolled her eyes. "And I happen to think that Maxie has a point. Wouldn't you like to have some fun?" Sam asked J.D. J.D. shruged, a smile playing across her face. "I think some fun would do everyone some good."

"We can have fun once we figure all this out, Sam." Jason said, and held out the picture of Kristina for J.D. to look at. "Did you know Kristina before she found you by the docks? Because Sonny made a good case. You look an awful lot like her, and I don't believe in coincidences."

Sam's eyes darted from the picture of Kristina and over at J.D. She grabbed the picture out of Jason's hands to get a better look. "Holy crap." She said in a shocked whisper. "Holy crap."

Spinelli looked from the picture to J.D. as well. "Is the Young Thief related to Fair Samantha and her sister?" He voiced the question in everyone's head. "Because the Jackal has seen physical resemblances to Fair Samantha as well."

Sam brought a hand to her head, rubbing her temples as the dream with Danny came flooding into her mind. "You need to find a way to explain things to us, J.D. Because I know there's something going on that connects you to me. I feel it, I see it. And I really need you to find a way to tell me. Please." Sam begged, turning to face J.D.

Spinelli ran over to grab paper and a pen and brought it over to J.D. "Will the Young Thief write for us some sort of answer?" She took the pen and paper from Spinelli and held it in her hands for a second.

"Just give us something." Jason told her. "Just something we can go from."

"Please." Sam begged her again. "I need to know how to help you."

J.D. put the pen to the paper, scribbled a couple words down, and held it up to show the group:

_i cant_

She slammed the piece of paper down on the coffee table, and stood up, walking over to the window. Sam looked up at Jason, her eyes begging him to figure something out. "I think we should go visit Alexis." Jason said, taking Sam by surprise. "If J.D. really is related somehow to both you and Kristina, which I'm going to bet on for now, Alexis may have answers."

Sam looked over at the young girl who stood over at the window, her arms folded around her chest in a protective way. J.D. was afraid. She was afraid of the answers that Sam and Jason both desperately wanted, and Sam could tell. "Okay." Sam agreed. "I'll call Alexis. We'll go over there tomorrow."

The next day J.D. refused to come out of her room. She didn't want to play this game. She didn't want them to continue to put the pieces together to figure out who she was. That wasn't part of her plan. Her plan was to get to know Sam, to get to know Sonny, and to find out what had happened to get her where she ended up, and that was it. She never intended on finding a family. She never intended on liking these people.

Spinelli offered to stay with her, and Jason and Sam made their way over to Alexis' place. They knocked at the door, and Molly answered it. "Hi Sam! Hi Jason!" Sam's youngest sister greeted them.

"Hey Molly." Sam smiled at her. "Is mom and Kristina home?" Before Molly could answer the question, the sound of fighting came from out of the kitchen.

"How do you fail English? You speak it! A lot, if I can add!"

"Mr. Loprete is a total douchebag, it's not my fault!"

"Will you stop blaming everything on other people! This is your fault! It's your grade, not your teacher's!"

"It's one F, it's no big deal!"

"It is a big deal! I'm going to have to call your father."

"Why? So he can offer to take me out to dinner to talk and you can tell him that he's a bad influence on me and too dangerous and tell him to stay away from me?"

Both Sam and Jason stood in the doorway for a moment. "I guess they are in the kitchen." Sam commented over the fighting, and Molly just nodded before heading up the stairs back into her room, not wanting to be anywhere near her sister and mother as they fought.

They made their way into the kitchen and stood unnoticed as Kristina and Alexis continued to fight. "Is that what this is all about? You acting out so Sonny of all people will notice you?"

"Maybe if you'd let him and I have a relationship, none of this would have to happen."

"That is the most ridiculous logic I have ever heard. You're willing to sacrifice your entire future by failing classes and acting out all so that Sonny will pretend to be daddy of the year? You really are an idiot, Kristina."

"Hey, Alexis, come on." Sam said, interrupting the flow of their fight. "I know you're upset, but I think you should be careful before either one of you starts saying things you don't mean."

Kristina turned to face Sam, thankful her older sister was there to referee. "We fight all the time, Sam, and trust me. We both always mean what we say."

Alexis sighed in frustration, and Sam could tell that her mother was worn out trying to control her rebellious teenage daughter. "Kristina, can you please just go upstairs and do your homework?"

"Actually, Alexis, if it's okay, Jason and I would like to talk to the both of you about something." Sam told her mother. Kristina looked over at Alexis, who nodded, and Kristina took a seat at the kitchen table. "I don't know if Kristina told you, but she came across a young girl who's been staying with Jason yesterday."

"That's who she was?" Kristina interjected. "The girl Cam told me was staying with you?"

"Why in God's name is Cameron Spencer talking about us?" Jason asked in a strained tone.

Kristina let out a half laugh. "She's his newest conquest."

"Oh dear Lord." Jason mumbled, bringing a hand to his temple.

"Can we please focus here?" Sam told the two of them, and turned her attention back on Alexis. "Anyway, Maxie and Spinelli found her on the street. She doesn't talk, she's skinny and obviously has been on the run for a while, and we have reason to believe that she's in danger and someone is after her."

"Should I even ask what that reason is?" Alexis asked her oldest daughter.

Sam smiled weakly at her. "We were attacked by a few men at Kelly's."

"And let me guess. You're taking it upon yourself to get into danger all for this girl you don't even know?" Alexis questioned her, and Sam shrugged.

"To cut to the chase," Jason interrupted, not in the mood to listen to Alexis, "she looks a lot like Kristina. And has similarities to Sam. And being as you are both of their mother, we want to know if you have any information that could help place this girl."

Alexis raised an eyebrow at Jason. "Yes, Jason. I was pregnant and didn't notice and popped out a child without anyone around me realizing it." She spoke sarcastically.

"Not helping." Jason fired back.

"Mom, it's true. She looks a lot like me. Even my dad noticed. And Morgan was comfortable around her, and you know how he is, so maybe he saw the similarities between her and me, too." Kristina offered to the conversation.

Alexis looked over at Sam. "So where is she? Why didn't you bring her here for me to see?"

"She wouldn't leave her room this morning. I think she's starting to get overwhelmed. But is there anyone you could think of who she'd belong to? Someone we'd be related to maybe?" Sam asked. "There has to be something."

Alexis shrugged. "I'm sorry Sam, but no. I can't think of anything. I'll keep thinking for you, but off the top of my head I've got nothing. Maybe if I saw her I'd be more helpful, if you really believe she looks that much like Kristina."

"She definitely does." Jason added.

"Maybe we can all have dinner one night soon. And you can see her for yourself." Sam suggested.

Alexis nodded her head. "That sounds like a good idea. Call me later in the week and we can set something up. And I'll do my best to try and think of an explanation in the meantime."

"Thanks Alexis." Sam told her.

"Try to keep yourself out of too much danger, Sam." Alexis added, and Sam just nodded with a smile. Alexis turned to face Kristina. "Upstairs. Homework. Now."

Jason and Sam left Alexis' place, and when Sam didn't say anything the entire way home, Jason spoke up. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "You haven't said a word, which is definitely not like you."

"I'm just thinking." Sam told him. "This whole J.D. thing has put this sick feeling in my stomach. I can't shake it, and I don't know why it's there."

"You're determined to figure this out. You're just anxious for the answers." Jason explained to her.

She slowly nodded her head. "Or maybe I'm afraid of the answers." She told him, and slowly leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. "I don't know why, but something tells me these aren't going to be easy answers."

"If they were easy, we'd know them already." Jason told her, wrapping his arm around her. "It'll be okay, Sam."

"You promise?" She asked him.

He hesitated for a moment. "I promise." He told her. And he made a mental note to make sure he could keep that promise.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thanks again for the feedback guys! glad you like the banner. Enjoy!  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jason and Sam had left the Penthouse to go to Alexis', leaving Spinelli in charge and J.D. in her room. She didn't want to go with them. She didn't want to meet some lady who they were planning on having help figure out who J.D. was. She had no idea who this Alexis person was, and she was pretty certain this Alexis person would have no idea who she was.

When she finally did come out of her room, she found Spinelli so absorbed in whatever he was doing on his laptop, she was pretty sure she could have been a loud person and still gone unnoticed. She decided to use the time to snoop, which is something she knew she probably shouldn't do at all, but she couldn't contain herself. Making her way into Jason's bedroom, she began to look around.

She didn't intend on stealing anything, she just wanted to look around, but as she did she began to realize that Jason's bedroom was more boring than not. There was nothing worth snooping over. The pictures he had in his room were pretty much the same as the ones on the mantle downstairs. She sighed, figured it wasn't worth her time to snoop anymore, and began to make her way out of the room, when she saw it. Something shiny sparkle from underneath the dresser across the room.

Curious, she made her way over and got down on the ground to look back behind the dresser. Squinting her eyes, she couldn't quite make out what it was. It was sparkly, that much she knew. She reached her hand under the dresser and stretched it out as far as she could. She pressed her face up against the dresser so her arm could go further in, and she finally felt the object touch the tips of her fingers. Struggling harder, and practically pressing her entire body into the dresser, she managed to grab it, and pulled it out to take a look.

She looked at it curiously when she did, not expecting to see what she did. A star necklace. It took her by surprise. Why would there be a star necklace behind the dresser in Jason's bedroom? She wondered briefly if it belonged to Sam, since she had been staying in Jason's room the past could of nights, but decided that couldn't be. Sam had worn low v-neck tops the past few days, and J.D. hadn't seen a single necklace on it. Besides, the amount of dust that covered it proved that it hadn't been worn in quite some time.

She liked the necklace, though. And since it was under the dresser covered in dust, she didn't think anyone would miss it if it were gone. She stood up off of the ground, put the necklace in her pocket, and began to make her way out of the room. She stopped when she passed a picture of Michael, the same picture that was hung up at Sonny's place. She stood there for a moment looking at it, before she took it down and held it in her hands.

It was then that both Jason and Sam walked through the door into Jason's bedroom. Jason cleared his throat, and it startled J.D., who dropped the picture, causing the glass of the frame to shatter. Her eyes opened wide, and she backed away, wondering how bad Jason would yell at her for that one. "Damn it." Jason said, as he bent over to start picking up the glass pieces.

"J.D., don't move. I don't want you getting cut by the glass. I'll go get something to put it all in and a vacuum to pick up the small pieces." Sam said, and she headed out of the room.

J.D. stared at Jason for a moment as he picked up the pieces. She had been too caught up, she hadn't even heard them get home. Rookie mistake. "Here, hold this. And try not to drop it again this time." He said, as he handed her what was left of the photograph and frame. He continued to pick up all the big pieces of glass, and stood up when he realized the rest were too small for him to handle without Sam and the vacuum. "What are you doing in my room?"

Quick to come up with a cover, she moved her eyes towards the photograph in her hands. "You've been curious about Michael." Jason stated. "You keep looking at his picture on the mantle, too." She nodded her head. "He, uh, was Sonny and Carly's. You know, the people who Kristina brought you to yesterday. He got shot. Like I said the first day we talked about him, I don't really like to get into it."

She continued to look at him, her eyes asking him to continue. "You know, Michael is one of the main reasons I keep Jake away from me. My life is dangerous. I'm sure you picked that up by the guns and the way Sam and I handled the situation in Kelly's, violence is almost an everyday occurrence. Well, the same goes for Sonny's life, and Michael got caught in between it. This life is no place for kids."

Sam made her way through the door with the vacuum, and turned it on before Jason could say anymore, but he had said enough for J.D. to understand things a little more. Sonny and Jason did dangerous work, and though no one came out and said it, she had a couple of ideas what that meant. And as far as the way Kristina and Morgan were, being Sonny's kids, Jason had explained that enough. So where did that leave her?

The next morning was a quiet one. Sam was in the kitchen making herself some tea, Spinelli was typing away on his laptop with J.D. watching him, interested in the computer itself, and Jason was going over some papers at his desk. It was a nice quiet morning, and they all were just enjoying the peacefulness. That is, until Maxie burst through the door, a big basket in her hands.

"J.D.! Have I got the day planned out perfectly for you!" She announced, making her way in, totally disturbing the peace.

Jason groaned, and Sam made her way into the room. "Maxie, we are having a nice quiet morning. Must you ruin everything?" Jason barked at her.

She ignored him and made her way over to J.D. and Spinelli, throwing the basket she was carrying onto Spinelli's lap. He stared at it for a moment, before breathing it in. "Oh, wow. The Jackal's stomach is going to start growling for whatever you have prepared in this basket." He said.

"That's not to eat here, Spinelli. I have prepared a picnic lunch for five people, though knowing Jason he'll ruin the fun and there will only be four of us going, to eat at the beach!" She told them excitedly.

"The beach? Maxie, it's the middle of September." Sam pointed out.

Maxie turned to face Sam. "While that is very true, have you been outside yet? It's a gorgeous day! And I don't think we should let a day like this go to waste!" Sam didn't seem convinced. "I'm not saying we have to get in bikinis and go swimming in the ocean, but it's a nice day outside and we should go to the beach and enjoy the food I made and have some fun!"

"The Jackal is definitely in." Spinelli said, peeking into the food basket.

Sam turned to face J.D. "What do you think, kid?" She asked, knowing the young girl hadn't had fun since being there. She was a kid, after all, and they should at least attempt to treat her like one. "Ever been to the beach?"

J.D. slowly shook her head. She wasn't even sure if she knew what a beach was. Maxie stared at her with a shocked expression. "All the more reason to go!" She exclaimed.

Sam smiled at J.D., who obviously looked interested. "I'm in."

"Yes! That just leaves you, Jason." Maxie said, turning to him. He stared at the four of them, his face scrunched up, obviously not going for this.

"Come on, Jason. It'll be fun. You remember fun, right?" Sam smiled at him.

Jason let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'm in."

For once, Jason couldn't argue with the brilliance of Maxie's plan. It was a beautiful day out, and the five of them had a good picnic, resulting in only a little bit of bickering between Jason and Maxie. After lunch, Spinelli had decided he wanted to feel how cold the water was, and Maxie and J.D. had followed him down while Sam and Jason sat on the blanket they had brought with them. "I'm going to miss this." Sam said, her eyes closed and her face pointed towards the sky.

"Miss what?" Jason asked her curiously.

"The nice weather." She told him. "Soon winter will set in and it'll be cold all the time. It's hard to enjoy the sun when it's cold." She turned her head to look at the trio by the ocean. Spinelli was already completely drenched, and by the look on his face, she was sure the water was just as cold as one would expect it to be in the middle of September. She watched as Spinelli splashed at J.D. and Maxie, who screamed and ran away from the water. He made his way over to J.D. and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and tossing her into the water. "Oh, crap. I hope J.D. can swim." Sam commented, a little worried.

Jason followed her gaze out towards the water, and watched as J.D.'s head popped out and as Spinelli swam his way over to her. She was swimming fine. "Yeah, she's fine. She's like a dog--"

"Jason, what did I tell you about referring to her as an animal?" Sam scolded him.

"No, no. That's not what I meant." He immediately defended himself. "I just meant that she has those survival instincts. No one teaches a dog how to swim, but if you throw it in the pool, it'll swim. She lives on survival instincts instead of being taught."

Sam nodded her head. She had to agree. "I'm glad she looks like she's having fun, though." And it was true. Between Maxie yelling at them not to splash her, and swimming around in the water with Spinelli, for the first time J.D. actually looked like she was happy and having a good time.

The clouds suddenly made their way in. Dark ones that moved in with a vengeance. Thunder rolled in the distance, and Jason stood up off of the blanket. "Hey! You three! Away from the water!" He called after them, and Sam looked up at him, amused. "What's with the look?" He asked her.

"I just wouldn't expect you to be concerned about our kids' safety when it comes to lightning and thunder." Sam smirked at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "One, everyone knows you are supposed to get out of water when there's a thunderstorm. And two...our kids?"

Sam laughed. "Please. Sometimes, no matter how old Maxie and Spin are, I feel like a mother with a bunch of teenage children." She joked, and Jason had to laugh and agree.

The three made their way over to Jason and Sam, and Sam suggested that they begin to pack up before the rain came. They started to fold the blanket and put away their picnic stuff, when, without warning, the sky opened up and it began to pour. Maxie immediately grabbed the folded blanket from Jason's hands to hold over her head, and Sam joined her, as Spinelli held the picnic basket over his head and Jason used his jacket as a shield over his. "J.D., come on, get under the blanket with us and we'll make our way to the car." Sam called out.

But J.D. didn't move. She lifted her head up towards the sky and let the rain fall on her face. She had heard the rain before, and even have seen it occasionally through the window that was in the high east corner of the dungeon she had been kept in. But she had never felt it before. She had never felt the droplets of water touch her skin. She had never jumped from puddle to puddle as a child. She had never once in her entire life played in the rain. And she wasn't going to give up that opportunity to stand under a blanket with Sam and Maxie.

The other four watched as J.D. suddenly began to twirl in the rain, a smile played upon her face as she began to really enjoy herself for once in her life. Spinelli began to laugh, and put the picnic basket down as he joined her, picking her up off the ground and spinning for her. "Guys, come on. Let's go get out of the rain." Jason told the two.

"I don't know how long my new skirt will last getting drenched." Maxie commented, but Spinelli and J.D. didn't hear them. Or if they did, they completely ignored them.

Sam smiled as she watched them, and handed her share of the blanket over to Maxie. She joined the two in the rain, and Spinelli reached out an arm to grab her, losing his grip on J.D., who fell to the ground. Laughing, Spinelli bent down to pick her up, and when he did, J.D. pulled him down to the ground with her, and after sharing a mischievous look with J.D., they both reached out and grabbed Sam, pulling her down with them. Maxie and Jason didn't join in, but they watched the three with smiles on their face.

Jason had to hand it to Maxie. She did good.

Sam, J.D., and Spinelli were completely covered in wet sand as they made their way into the Penthouse. Spinelli called the first shower, and made his way up the stairs, as Jason went into the kitchen to boil some water to make Sam some tea. Sam walked over to take a seat on the couch, but Jason made his way out of the kitchen just as she was about to. "Don't sit on my couch covered in sand. Are you crazy? I have to sleep there tonight."

"Don't lie, Jason. You know you'd enjoy the feeling of sand crystals up your ass." She joked, and to her surprise, a small sound of laughter came from the other side of the room. Both she and Jason turned their heads to look at J.D., who was laughing. "So you can make sound!" Sam said excitedly. "Jason, she can laugh! Do you hear that? There's hope for her yet! She's not doomed to spend her life laughter-less like you try to do!" She continued to joke, and J.D. continued to quietly laugh. "Jason, do you think she's ticklish?"

Jason just shook his head, knowing that once Sam got an idea like tickling in her mind, you were doomed. He turned to face J.D. "Run." He told her, and she looked at him confused. Before she could even get an explanation out of him, she was being attacked by Sam, who began to tickle her so hard, J.D. fell to the ground laughing.

Sam found that J.D. was most ticklish in her lower back, so that was where she decided to attack the hardest. She reached a hand up the back of J.D.'s shirt, to further the tickling power, when she felt what Sam could immediately tell were scars and scabs. She backed up a bit, retreating, and J.D. looked up at her curiously, wondering what had caused the sudden stop and change in Sam's expression. "J.D....I'm not going to hurt you." She said softly, causing Jason to walk closer in the room, wondering himself what Sam was talking about.

Sam slowly reached at the back of J.D.'s shirt, and lifted it up, exposing her back. Sam felt her eyes tear up, and she did her best to control the gasp that was stuck in her throat as a million bruises and scars and scabs were revealed. "Oh my God." Sam whispered, her mind immediately going to her dream with Danny.

Jason made his way over to see what Sam was looking at, and J.D. suddenly jerked away, backing up from the two of them. "J.D., who did this to you?" Sam asked softly, afraid of the answer. When she asked in her dream, J.D. spoke, telling her it was all Sam's fault.

But this time, J.D. didn't speak. And Spinelli chose then to make his way town the stairs, a towel in his hands as he dried off his mop of hair. Realizing the shower was free, J.D. hurried off of the ground and ran up the stairs, making her way into the shower.

Sam knelt down on the ground, in complete shock. Jason bent down next to her, as Spinelli stood there, curious as to what on earth he just interrupted. "Did you see that, Jason?" She asked him in a quiet whisper.

"Yeah. I saw." Jason replied simply.

"It was just like my dream, Jason." She told him.

Jason took Sam into his arms. "It'll be okay, Sam. We'll figure all this out and we'll keep her safe. She's starting to really trust us and get comfortable with us. If we can't find our own answers, she'll tell us them soon."

Sam nodded her head, closing her eyes as she rested her head against Jason's chest. She tried to believe that everything would be okay. But she couldn't shake that sinking feeling in her stomach that soon it wouldn't be.


	15. Chapter 15

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

A week went by, and things had gone on smoothly. No danger, no drama, just a normal week. And though Sam had tried her best to convince Jason to let her go back to her place, though if she was honest with herself, she didn't try all that hard, Jason refused. The danger was still out there, and even though it was temporarily leaving them alone, J.D. was still on the run, someone was still after her and Sam, and they still needed answers.

Answers didn't seem to want to come to them at all. Spinelli and Sam dedicated their time and office into figuring out things about J.D. and the man or men who were after her. Every search, every direction, everything, kept turning up empty. And as frustrated as it was, neither one of them wanted to give up. They only knew J.D. for a little over a week, but there was no denying it. She was part of their family now.

Jason also continued to look into figuring out J.D.'s story, and he tightened security around the Penthouse and put guards on both the girl and Sam. Sonny every so often would question him about her, curious himself after seeing the resemblance of J.D. to his daughter and also seeing how comfortable his recluse son was with her.

J.D. herself seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with their makeshift family. She laughed around them, smiled more. She was becoming closer and closer to Maxie and Spinelli as friends, and she began to trust Sam and Jason more as guardians. The gloom and doom she had brought with her when she escaped was slowly going away. She didn't know exactly what happiness was, but if she had to take a guess, she would say this was pretty close.

Sam and Alexis had decided that they were both free to have dinner by the end of the week, and the end of the week was approaching quickly. She wanted Alexis to meet J.D.; maybe Alexis would have some answers. It seemed unlikely, but at the same time, there was no denying the resemblance to Kristina or even the resemblance to Sam, and Alexis would make sense to be the one with all the answers. "So, I'm thinking about inviting Alexis and the girls over here for dinner."

Jason put the newspaper down and looked up at Sam, who was sitting on the couch next to him. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, we could go out, but J.D. doesn't really like to go out with a bunch of people she doesn't know in a place she isn't comfortable with. At least she's comfortable here, you know?" Sam reasoned.

Jason raised an eyebrow at her. "That doesn't mean I want to throw a dinner party."

"I should probably invite Maxie over, too. So that J.D. has her and Spinelli besides us to keep her comfortable and in her element. I mean, she met Kristina so I guess that won't be so bad, but you know Alexis can come off strong." Sam continued to ramble.

"Sam, you're turning this into a big ordeal. What is this? Thanksgiving? I'm pretty sure I have a couple of months before I have to worry about that stupid holiday." Jason commented.

Sam playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Oh shush!" She told him, and then got a contemplative look on her face. "Though, that doesn't sound all that bad. I actually think that it would be really fun! And then we would all be so overwhelmed, J.D. wouldn't have to worry!"

Jason's eyes opened wide as he stared at her. "What on earth are you going on about?"

"Thanksgiving!" Sam exclaimed, and Jason stared at her as if she had three heads. "Thanksgiving, Jason!"

"Say it one more time, because clearly, that's going to help me understand what on earth you are talking about!" Jason mockingly exclaimed back to her. She shot him a look. "Now, do me a favor, take a deep breath, and slowly explain to me what you are trying to say."

Sam took a deep breath before she began again. "Tomorrow night, Alexis and the girls are going to come over for dinner. I am also inviting Maxie, and you are going to pick up the phone and invite Monica. Oh, and invite Jake, too."

Jason laughed, Sam just looked at him for a moment. "What, you're serious?" She nodded her head. "Why on earth would I do that? You know family dinners are so far from being my thing that this is a ridiculous idea. Monica might have a heart attack from shock if I pick up a phone and invite her over for a big dinner at my place. And Elizabeth would never let Jake over here for dinner."

"Oh, come on, Jason. Monica would love it. And with so many people here, Elizabeth just might let Jake come over. It's worth a shot asking, anyway. I'll even attempt cooking a meal. It'll be fun, Jason." Sam said, a big smile across her face.

"We don't even have enough room in this place for all those people." Jason said, his last resort at making an excuse to get this idea out of Sam's head.

Sam smirked at him. "I have a big folding table at my place, and a few folding chairs. We can borrow a few more chairs, I'm sure someone has a bunch of extras. Maybe Monica or Alexis."

"You seriously want to have our families over for dinner?" Jason asked her again. "We aren't even family, Sam. This is just completely bizarre." Sam paused and looked at him for a moment and he could literally see the hurt in her eyes. "That's not what I meant, I didn't mean you aren't family I just..." He trailed off. He definitely put his foot in his mouth with that one. If anything, he considered Sam family more than anyone else in this entire world. He sighed. "Fine. I'll go call Monica." He gave in, and seeing her face light up as she gave an excited clap, he knew it was worth it.

Alexis and the girls were good to go, and after convincing Monica he was serious and she wasn't hearing things, she agreed immediately, too. Jason even called Elizabeth to invite Jake, but she turned him down. She didn't think it was a good idea, and although Jason thought that she was being completely unreasonable, he couldn't argue with her. He gave up those rights a long time ago.

The next day came, and as Sam was instructing Jason and Spinelli on where to move the couch to so they could set up the table in the middle of the room. Maxie had a bunch of folding chairs at her place that ended up in her posession after a Crimson event, and she was bringing them over in a few hours, before everyone else would get there. "I think it needs to be moved to the left a little bit." Sam commented.

"Sam, it doesn't need to be perfectly centered." Jason moaned, moving the table a little to the left for her.

Sam scrunched up her face as she looked at it. "I think you went too far left."

"The Jackal thinks that perhaps Fair Samantha should sit down and take rest befor the festivities tonight?" Spinelli offered, also starting to get annoyed at having to move the table over and over again.

"I will rest. After you move it back to the right." She told them, and the two of them groaned and did her bidding. She was about to open her mouth to comment again, but there was a knock at the door. Both Jason and Spinelli sighed in relief. "Hold that thought." Sam said, as she walked over to open the door.

"Hey Sam." Kristina greeted her as they door opened, and Sam hugged her little sister, surprised to see her.

"Kristina? What're you doing here. You aren't supposed to be here for another few hours." Sam asked her.

"I know." Kristina told her, making her way into the Penthouse. "But I was wondering if maybe J.D. can come hang out with me until then. I was really bored and home and mom was getting on my case about me cutting a class last week, which was totally stupid because I only cut it because it was Contemporary Issues class and they started talking about the mob and someone got on my case about my dad and I just didn't want to hear it anymore so I left, but anyway I really needed to get out of the house so I figured maybe I could hang out with J.D. for a bit before dinner?" Kristina explained all in one breath.

J.D. made her way down the stairs upon hearing her name, and Kristina waved at her. "I don't see why not, but you'll have to ask J.D." Sam told her, but Jason stepped in.

"Where would you be going?" He asked Kristina.

"Well, gee, dad." She snapped sarcastically at 're going to go for a walk. Probably down by the docks. Maybe stop at Kelly's. I don't know." Kristina shrugged. She hadn't thought that far in advance.

"I don't know that J.D. should be out walking around aimlessly. Or that you should be out walking alone aimlessly with her." Jason commented.

Kristina let out a dramatic sigh. "Can't you just place a bunch of guards on us? Stop being annoying."

"Jason, just let them go out for a bit. They'll be okay. You've got guards on J.D. Nothing will happen." Sam told him, and although he didn't like the idea, he sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But be back here in an hour." He commanded, and Kristina walked over to J.D., grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her out of the penthouse. "If they aren't back in an hour, I'm going to kill your sister." Jason commented to Sam, who laughed.

"They'll be fine." Sam told him. "Now about that table."

Kristina and J.D. walked along the pier, as Kristina talked J.D.'s head off. She reminded J.D of a mix of Maxie, the nonstop talking, and Sam, and she enjoyed the presence of the slightly older girl. "And then he said that it was all my fault, can you believe that?" J.D. shook her head, going along with Kristina's story. "You know, you remind me a lot of my brother, Morgan. He doesn't really talk all that much, either, but he listens to me go on and on. Sometimes I wonder if he get's sick of hearing me talk."

"I know I do." The two girls jumped at the sound of the sudden third voice coming from behind them.

Kristina rolled her eyes. "Go home, Cam."

Cam ignored her and walked over to J.D. "We didn't get to formerly meet last week. How've you been?" He leaned against the fence post and smiled at J.D. J.D. couldn't help but blush. She gave him a weak smile back.

"She doesn't talk." Kristina told him.

Cam looked surprised. He hadn't heard that until now. His dad didn't mention it, and he hadn't thought to notice it during their last encounter. "Oh." He said, and suddenly he found himself a lot more curious about this girl than he was before, when it was only physical curiosity. "Like Morgan?" He asked Kristina.

"I guess. I don't know. Morgan talks, just not a lot and only to like me and Carly or my dad. She doesn't talk at all." Kristina said, looking over at J.D. "Stop talking about her as if she isn't standing right here." She scolded Cam.

"Sorry. I'm just...sorry." Cam said, looking over at J.D. "I guess that happens a lot when you're quiet. People forget you are around." He commented. J.D. shrugged. "Don't worry. I promise I won't do that again. You're too pretty for someone not to notice." He said it with complete sincerity, although it came off as pure flirtation.

"On that note, we should get headed back before we're late to dinner and Jason completely freaks out and sends troops after us." Kristina said, and took J.D. by the arm so they could head back to the Penthouse.

Cam followed them. "You're having dinner at Mr. Morgan's?" He asked, curiously.

"Big family dinner. My sister Sam planned it. Like a Thanksgiving a couple months early." Kristina shrugged. "Your brother wasn't invited?"

Cam sighed. "He probably was, but I bet my mom said no. She's so anti-Jason it's ridiculous. Like why boink him and get pregnant in the first place if you're going to decide his life is too dangerous to let his son near him?"

"Ew, Cam. That's your mom you're talking about." Kristina commented. "But that sucks about your brother. I know the feeling completely." And she did. Elizabeth did to Jake what Alexis had done for the most part to Kristina. "If I were Jake, I'd just go over anyway."

Cam turned over to J.D. "She's a bad influence, isn't she?" He laughed, and J.D. couldn't help but smile. "She's got a point though, what did you say your name was?"

"She obviously didn't say. And it's J.D." Kristina told him.

"What does that stand for?" Cam asked her.

Again, Kristina answered for her as if she were her translator. "Jane Doe. Maxie Jones named her. I think it's a little cliche, but what're you going to do."

"So, Janie, you think Kristina has a point? You think my little bro should just go over anyway?" Cam asked her, and J.D. stopped for a moment to think about it. She saw Jason's son and how awkward it was when he went over to the penthouse last week to give Jason the photograph. She didn't really know what to make of the relationship or situation. She didn't know all that much about it.

But she went out of her way to try and find answers and make relationships, so why shouldn't Jake? She nodded her head in agreement. "J.D. votes yes. Should I assume you do, too, Kristina?" Cam asked the older girl.

"I don't let my mom run my life and neither should Jake." Kristina told him.

"Okay. Then Jake and I will see you for dinner in about an hour." Cam said, and turned to walk in the other direction.

"Wait a second, what?" Kristina called out after him. "No one said anything about you coming to dinner!" Cam ignored her and kept on walking. "Great." She mumbled, and they began their walk back to the Penthouse.

When J.D. and Kristina got back to the Penthouse, Alexis, Molly, and Maxie had already arrived. Alexis stared at the two girls as they made their way in. "Holy crap." She said.

"I wasn't lying." Sam told her. "They look a like."

"You're late." Jason mumbled as they made their way through the door.

"By like two minutes." Kristina snapped back.

"Kristina." Alexis warned her daughter, who was being rude.

Monica arrived shortly after, and they all chatted away before taking a seat around the table Jason and Spinelli had finally put in a position that was acceptable to Sam. She was about to take the chicken she had prepared out of the kitchen, when there was another knock at the door. "Wonder who that is, I thought everyone was here." Sam commented as she made her way over to the door.

"Oh, well, we might have accidentally invited a couple more people." Kristina told her older sister, and Sam shot her a confused look.

She opened the door to reveal the two Spencer boys. "Sorry we're late." Cam said, as he made his way in without even waiting for Sam to invite him inside. "Hope you guys didn't start without us." He took the vacant seat next to J.D. and smiled at everyone, who stared at him wondering what on earth he was doing there.

Jason stood up out of his chair. "Does your mother know you are here?"

"Nope. Just go with it, Mr. Morgan. He's your son, too." Cam said, and Jason shot him a look, not exactly sure how to reply. The room fell quiet, no one knowing what exactly to say, no one wanting to deal with the situation that fell upon them.

Sam smiled softly at the little boy who still stood in the doorway. He was beautiful, she couldn't deny it. He had gorgeous straight hair and beautiful blue eyes. She knew he would definitely grow up to be a babe magnet like his brother. And it killed her inside. This beautiful boy that stood in front of her was Jason's. But he wasn't hers.

Jake shifted nervously in the doorway. To say that Jake and Sam didn't have an awkward past would be a lie, and to just call it an awkward past was an understatement, and everyone in that room knew it. Including Jake. "What Elizabeth doesn't know won't kill her." Sam spoke softly and kind to the boy in front of her. He smiled at her. Jake made his way into the room, and that was that.

Sam walked over behind him. "Why don't you take the seat next to Jason? I'll go sit over by Maxie instead." She said, giving up her seat with a wink to Jason, who looked at her uncomfortably.

Everyone was seated, and Sam brought the rest of the food onto the table before taking a seat herself. She went to start serving the chicken, but Monica stopped her. "Oh, come on, Sam. It's a rare occassion that we all be here for dinner. I think we should say grace before we start." She said with a smile, which Sam returned, before taking her seat. "So who'd like to say them?"

No one spoke up. Looking around the room, no one in there would be the ideal candidate for a prayer leader. When a couple of seconds went by before anyone offered, Cam spoke up. "I'll do it!"

"No." Jason said sternly, causing Jake and Kristina to laugh.

"Oh, come on, he can say them if he wants." Monica told her son with a laugh.

"No, Mrs. Quartermaine, I really don't think that's a good idea." Jake spoke up, knowing how his brother was. Monica shifted uneasily in her seat, and Jake turned a couple shades of deep red. Monica was his grandmother, and referring to her as 'Mrs. Quartermaine' only added to the tension in the room.

Monica smiled softly at him, making him feel less uneasy. "Please, call me Monica." He nodded slowly at her.

Suddenly, a growl came from the other side of the table, and everyone looked over at Spinelli. "The Jackal apologizes. Apparently my stomach is ready to eat." Everyone laughed a bit.

"Fine, for the sake of Spinelli's stomach not eating itself, I'll say grace." Sam offered.

"You?" Jason and Alexis both said at the same time. Sam just shot them both a look and folded her hands. Everyone else did the same.

"Dear God, I'm obviously not very good at this, but I just want to thank you for our makeshift little family we have here, and thank you even more for letting J.D. come join us. Cam and Jake, too, since we don't see much of them. What the three of them don't know is once you are part of this little makeshift family, you're stuck. So if they want to get out, they should probably head to the door now." A few people laughed, and Cam pretended to get up out of his seat. "Obviously we are an awkward bunch, and I'm hoping you can ease some of the tension we have in this room for the sake of us all having a nice meal tonight. And thanks for letting me not completely burn the chicken."

"Though it does look pretty burned." Maxie jokingly mumbled.

"Um, I guess that's all I have to say, so Amen, and let's eat." Sam finished, and after everyone echoed her with an "Amen", they all dived in to eat.

Dinner went surprisingly well, and afterwards, the kids all made their way over to the pool table to engage in a game. Kristina, J.D., and Jake on one team, Molly, Spinelli, and Cam on the other. The rest of the adults all stayed around the table, Alexis, Jason, and Monica helping clear the table as Maxie helped Sam in the kitchen as she made coffee.

After coffee had ended, and Kristina, J.D., and Jake celebrated a pool victory as Cam yelled at Spinelli for sucking so bad, Alexis decided that it was time to leave, and gathered up Molly and Kristina to go home. "I'm going to do my best to look into this, Sam. There's no denying that she and Kristina look a like. And she has a lot of resemblances to you, too. But she obviously isn't mine. And I can't place how she would be related to us at all. But I'm going to look into it. And if you find anything out, you let me know." Alexis told Sam.

"I will. And thank you." Sam told her mother. "This is important to me."

Alexis smiled. "Then it's important to me, too. Now we've really got to be going. I'll talk to you later." They said their goodbyes, and Alexis and the girls left.

Cam and Jake left shortly after, Cam deciding that if they were gone any longer, their mom would probably make Lucky take his police car and round up all the troops to look for them. Jake and Jason said an awkward goodbye, and Cam winked over at J.D., before the two of them made their way out the door.

"I guess I should be going, too." Monica said, as Sam took her empty coffee cup into the kitchen. "Thanks for inviting me, Jason. I had a good time. It was nice to see Jake, too. I hardly ever see him, unless he's at the hospital waiting for Elizabeth to get off shift."

Jason smiled. "I don't really see Jake much either. And don't thank me, this was really all Sam's idea."

Monica brought a hand up to her son's shoulder. "Sam's a special woman." Jason nodded his head. He agreed wholeheartedly. "What exactly is going on between you two nowadays, anyway?"

Jason was taken aback by the question. "I, uh, what? Sam's a good friend."

Monica smiled. "If you say so."

"I do." Jason told her.

Sam made her way out of the kitchen and over to Monica. "Thank you so much for talking Jason into this, Sam. It was really a lovely evening." Monica told her, giving her a hug.

"I'll try to make it a more common thing." Sam told her. "I've got Jason wrapped around my finger." She joked, smirking at Jason, and he just smiled back. It was true.

Maxie left a few minutes later, and Spinelli and J.D. practically collasped on the floor from exhaustion. "Okay, you two, no need to be over dramatic. Get up and help us clean up the table and chairs." Sam told them, and the two just stared at her, not moving off of the couch.

"Why don't we just clean up tomorrow. It's been a long night, and I'm pretty sure J.D. and Spinelli just want to get to bed. I know I do." Jason said, coming to the rescue, and J.D. and Spinelli didn't waste a second, they quickly got up off the floor and began to run upstairs to their rooms. Before making it all the way to the top, J.D. stopped and came back down.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked her, and before she could say another word, J.D. suddenly wrapped her arms around her. It took Sam by surprise, but she welcomed it. J.D. broke the hug and looked at Sam for a minute before turning back to run up the stairs. It was the first night in her life she felt like she had a family, and she wanted to go to sleep before anything could ruin that night and that feeling. "I wasn't expecting her to do that."

Jason smiled. "You pulled off a nice thing tonight. Thank you for telling me to invite Monica. And I don't know how your sister did it, and I'm sure it involved some scheme with Cam, but thank her for managing to get Jake to come for me."

"I will." Sam told him. As much as being around Jake hurt her, as much as looking at him made her want to cry, it hurt her even more to see Jason have such an estranged relationship with his son. "We really shouldn't have let J.D. and Spinelli go to bed without moving the table."

"Why? We can do it in the morning." Jason told her.

"Yeah, but without the couch, where are you going to sleep?" She asked him, and he paused for a moment. He didn't think of that.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out. You should go get to bed though. You must be exhausted after pulling off this dinner."

"Don't be silly Jason. Just come sleep with me." She said, and he froze. She bit her lip nervously. "It's a big bed, and I don't want to put you out. Just come sleep with me."

All reason told him to object. But he didn't say a word. He followed her up the stairs into his bedroom, and closed the door behind him. He climbed into the bed after she did, and closed his eyes. It was a good night, indeed.


	16. Chapter 16

_hello everyone! so here's the next chapter, and i hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

A whole month went by without drama, and J.D. had seemingly formed a home with these people that she could enjoy without the overwhelming loom of danger hanging over her head. The danger was still there, and she had to constantly remind herself of it, but for now she was happy. She was home.

She and Kristina had become good friends during the course of the month, and it was nice to have someone around her age to show her what girls their age are supposed to do. She had never felt like a kid before, and with Kristina, she got to. She also had Kristina to take her over to Sonny's on occasion, which was something else J.D. continued to want to do. She hardly knew Sonny, and he barely was around when they went over to sit with Morgan or for Kristina to try and get his attention, and J.D. would have been lying if she admitted to not wanting to know him better. He was a mystery to her, and she didn't get the feeling inside of her once that she had when she looked at Sam. She didn't know why, but it just wasn't there.

She and Maxie developed a strong relationship. Maxie looked over J.D. and took her shopping and had talks with her as an older sister would, and J.D. loved spending time with the older girl. She spent most of her time with Maxie and Spinelli, much to Jason's dismay, and the three of them became their own misfit form of the three amigos. She owed a lot to Spinelli and Maxie especially. If the two of them had simply called the police instead of bringing her to the Penthouse the day she stole Maxie's wallet, she wasn't really sure where she would have ended up.

When she thought about how Jason acted when she first met him to how he acted with her now, she could almost not believe he was the same person. He was still that stone cold man, but he had a protective edge about him when it came to J.D. Sam often joked with him when he would ask Kristina or Maxie a million questions before they took J.D. out anywhere, saying that he was getting into "Papa Morgan Mode". But J.D. didn't mind it. It was nice to have someone looking out for her for a change.

And then there was Sam. J.D. continued to keep Sam at arm's length, though sometimes she found herself dropping her walls around the woman. Sam meant well, and she adored her, but there was still so much about the past that J.D. didn't know and couldn't explain, and because of it, sometimes she didn't want a damn thing to do with Sam. She had so many questions, and she needed answers.

Sam needed answers, too, and she and Spinelli dedicated their whole business into one thing: J.D. They turned away other clients and they focused all their time on trying to get some sort of answers to the questions J.D.'s presence gave them.

But they constantly turned up empty, and it frustrated Sam. It frustrated Jason, too, but he, for Sam's sake, tried to keep calm about the whole ordeal.

He had been fighting off feelings for a whole month now. He and Sam continued to share a bed, Sam insisting that it was stupid for him to share a couch and that as best friends, they should feel comfortable enough around each other to share a bed. And he was comfortable with her. More comfortable than he was with anyone else his entire life. But being comfortable or uncomfortable wasn't the issue. It was fighting back the urge to take her into his arms and make love to her, and it was a confusing urge to be having.

Did he want Sam? Did he love her? These were questions he refused to let himself think. They both did. They loved where they were at now, they loved being best friends. But in getting there, they had never once sat down to talk about the past. They ignored it. And every time Sam would see Jake, her heart would break a little. Every time something from that time period would get brought up, they would both hurt a little. But they continued to ignore it.

And because of that, neither one of them made the move into something more. They both feared bringing up the past they tried to avoid.

November rolled in, and Sam found herself standing by the open window, letting the brisk November breeze on her face. Jason had left the penthouse before she had even awoken, Sonny needing his assistance with something, and Sam cursed herself for even thinking he would still remember.

It had been years, but this day never got easier for her.

J.D. made her way out of her room and walked down the stairs to find Sam staring out the window, deep in thought. She kept quiet, she didn't want to disturb the older woman, but Sam noticed her almost immediately. Not wanting to be alone, Sam asked, "will you come for a walk with me? There's some place I need to be."

J.D. watched the older woman for a moment, knowing right away that something was off with her. She slowly nodded her head, and followed Sam as she made her way out the door.

Sam didn't take the whole ride, and it took J.D. by surprise. Overtime, she learned that Sam and Maxie were the talkers, Jason was the quiet one. She wondered what was going on inside the older woman's head and where they were going. Something with Sam was off; J.D. just didn't know what.

Sam stopped the car and got out with out a word, and J.D. quietly followed her. It shocked J.D. a bit when they began making their way into a cemetery. At least it answered why Sam was so different today. J.D. assumed someone she loved must have died.

J.D. looked around at all the graves that they passed. Some had flowers. Others were completely bare. Some looked like they had been left alone for decades. Some seemed loves, others forgotten. J.D.'s mind soared with questions. Who loved these people? How did they die? Did they live a good life? Or was death the final escape? She didn't know death could be so fascinating.

Sam suddenly stopped, and J.D., not paying attention, practically ran into her. "J.D., I want you to meet someone." Sam said, quietly, kneeling down in front of a small grave. J.D. leaned over Sam a bit to get a look at who exactly they were looking at. When she saw the name on the small plaque, she froze. "Hey baby girl. Happy birthday." Sam spoke to it.

J.D. felt sick. Physically sick. And the ground around them started to spin and she had to close her eyes for a moment to get her bearings. She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself composed. Sam looked over at her. "Sixteen years ago I gave birth to a baby girl. She didn't make it." J.D. could hear the strain in Sam's voice as she tried to explain, and she wanted more than anything to tell Sam she could stop talking. She didn't want to hear this.

Sam sat down on the ground in front of her baby's grave. "God, I would have thrown Lila the biggest sweet sixteen party. I wanted to spoil her, you know? Give her everything I never had. And I would have thrown her the biggest sweet sixteen ever. And I would have invited everyone. And I really do mean everyone. Sonny would have been there, and even if he didn't have the closes relationship with her like Kristina, he would have danced with her on the dance floor of the banquet hall I would have rented. And Kristina and Molly and Alexis would be there. And maybe Morgan and Carly would even come. Maxie, Spinelli, God I would have invited everyone. And Jason..." She paused to wipe away a tear. "Jason would have been by her side the entire night, proud of her."

J.D. found it hard to breathe listening to Sam speak. She lost control of her wobbly legs, and fell down onto the ground next to Sam. Sam didn't seem to notice. She kept her focus on her baby's grave as she continued to speak. "She would have had the most beautiful dress, too. I would have let her pick out anything. Except maybe if she wanted a really tight dress that her older sister Kristina would surely have suggested she wear. And everything would have been decorated in my baby girl's favorite color."

A few more tears escaped from Sam's eyes, and J.D. had to look away, fighting the urge she had to throw up. "I didn't even get that though, you know? She never even got to have a favorite color, and I didn't get a chance to know her at all to figure out what I think her favorite color would have been."

J.D. couldn't listen anymore. Her head began to pound and her eyes began to burn with the tears that were threatening to fall out. The ground she sat on spun, and she felt her whole body began to shake. She had to get out of there.

She stood up and took off quietly, wondering if Sam even noticed she left.

She just had to get out of there.

They thought she was dead?

That explained a lot.

And apparently it was her birthday.

What the hell happened the day she was born?

She continued to run, as the tears finally made their way out of her eyes. She could barely focus on where she was running. The whole town was spinning and her eyes were blurry and she felt like she was going to get sick any minute. But she kept running.

They thought she was dead? They thought she has been dead since birth? J.D. didn't know how to process that. That's not what she thought. Though, she didn't really know what she thought. But she did know the feelings she had towards Sam, the bitterness and distrust that came along with the belief that Sam had somehow abandoned or forgotten about her, were wrong. And she couldn't process this.

Her feet took her to the pier, which was the only place she knew to go to clear her head, seeing as it was the place everyone she knew seemed to go. She didn't want to run far. No matter how unsettling this was, he was still after her, and she knew better than to go too far from Jason's protection.

She stood still for a moment to catch her breath. She closed her eyes, but the tears made their way out anyway. She wondered for a moment how many people could say they stood next to their own grave. "Kristina? Oh, Janie. It's you. I didn't recognize you with out Mr. Morgan, Kristina, or Maxie Jones attached to your hip. Those people don't let you out of their sight much, huh?" She didn't turn to face Cameron Spencer as he made his way over to her.

He paused as he approached her. "Are you...are you okay?" He asked awkwardly. He wasn't the best person to handle upset girls, unless they were upset about an ex boyfriend or current boyfriend and he was swooping his way in to be Mr. Rebound. "Shit, you're crying?" He wasn't very good at comforting people for the right reasons.

J.D. didn't want to deal with the awkward womanizer standing next to her. She wanted to be left alone. "Hey, Janie, come on. Did something happen?" He asked, not really wanting to get involved, but knowing that he Shouldn't just ignore her. And if he was being honest with himself, he couldn't leave her. Even if he wanted to.

He reached his hand out and placed it on her shoulder, and taken back from the sudden touch, J.D. grabbed his wrist with her arm and quickly flung him down to the ground. He wasn't expecting that reaction at all, and he lied on the ground for a moment. "Jesus. That's the thanks I get for attempting to give a shit about you?" He said after a moment of silence.

She ignored him. She had too much going on to worry about Cam's hurt ego. "Fine. Whatever, Janie. Stay here and wallow. I'm out." He snapped at her, and turned to walk away. He got all of five feet before he stopped and turned around to face her. He couldn't leave her. "Janie, come on. It's getting cold out. Just...come with me back to my place."

He wasn't sure why he offered it, and she wasn't sure why she accepted his offer, but she slowly nodded his head and followed him as they made the walk over to the Spencer household.

J.D. made her way towards the front door, but Cam stopped her. "Are you crazy? My mom thinks I'm in my bedroom studying. I can't just stroll through the front door with a girl. Follow me." She raised an eyebrow at him, but followed him around towards the back of the house. "Okay, now what I usually do is step on that window ledge, reach up for that panel that's sticking out up there, pull myself up and in through my bedroom window up there. Do you want me to go first and then pull you up?" He offered, but she was way ahead of him, already reaching towards the panel.

He followed her as she pulled herself through his window, and they stood there awkwardly for a moment as she looked around his room. It was exactly how she pictured it to be. A mess. Clothes scattered everywhere, his bed unmade, it was the typical teenage boy room. He walked over to his bed and laid down on top of it.

She walked over to his dresser to look at the pictures he had on it. One with his mom and Jake. One with him, Jake, and Lucky. And one of a man she didn't know. She pointed to it. Cam looked up at her and then laid his head back down on the bed. "That's Zander, he's my birth father. He's been dead a while." He said with a shrug.

J.D. raised an eyebrow, and Cam couldn't help but laugh. "I know what you're thinking. Nope, Lucky isn't my bio father, either, and yes, both me and my brother have different fathers. I love my mom, don't get me wrong, but she is quite a piece of work." J.D. smiled, her confusion and pain momentarily disappearing.

She walked over and sat down next to him on the bed. She lied down and stared at his ceiling with him. "Did you know that there are nine cracks, twenty-six tiles, and three scratches on my ceiling?" He suddenly said, and she turned her head to stare at him. "I've been grounded and sent to my room more times than I can count. I used to get bored."

J.D. let out a soft laugh. The fact that he got grounded so often didn't surprise her. "Don't laugh. I needed something to entertain me. I even sometimes used to close my eyes and pretend I wasn't in my room, you know? That I was actually out in some like empty field, looking up at the stars instead." He said, and then realized he was being personal and sounded a little too soft for his liking. "I mean, uh, until I started closing my eyes and picturing that month's centerfold woman instead."

She rolled her eyes. For a minute, she could actually relate to Cam. She couldn't even count how many times she closed her eyes and pretended she was in Sam and Sonny's arms instead of the place he kept her all those years. She watched Cam as he closed his eyes. "Every often I'd picture a shooting star." He said, letting himself be personal again. "Make a wish." He told her. She closed her eyes and made a wish.

"Cam, do you have anything that needs to be ironed?" Elizabeth Webber suddenly interrupted them as she opened Cam's door and walked into his room. Her eyes opened wide as the two teenagers sat up in bed. "Oh my God." She half whispered in shock. "Who the hell are you?" She yelled at J.D.

Elizabeth's yelling caused Lucky to run into the room to see what was wrong. He took a look at the scene laid before him and cocked his head in confusion. "J.D.?" He said, and Elizabeth turned to face him.

"You know this little slut?" She asked.

"Woah, mom, that's a little uncalled for." Cam said, defending his friend and the situation.

Lucky nodded his head. "That's the girl staying with Jason and Sam."

"Get out!" Elizabeth yelled at the girl. "I don't want Jason and Sam's trash in my house!" She walked over to J.D. and grabbed her arm, yanking her off of Cam's bed. "Get out!"

Cam climbed off of the bed. "Mom, seriously? We're just hanging out!"

J.D. didn't wait around for Cam to explain. The moment Elizabeth let go of her arm as she pulled her out of Cam's room, she took off running. "Mom, that was so uncalled for and absolute bullshit!" Cam yelled at his mother.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Elizabeth warned her son. "You stay away from that girl, you understand me? She's trouble. They are all trouble!" Elizabeth started pacing around the room, and Cam looked over at Lucky for help.

"Elizabeth, I think you should probably just calm down and let Cam explain." Lucky tried.

Elizabeth glared at him. "No, Lucky. I don't want her in this house or anywhere near Cam or Jake. How on earth are we supposed to go away this weekend and leave the boys home alone knowing that there's a possibility Cam will invite danger over here? I don't want my boys getting hurt!"

Lucky sighed. "Nothing will happen, okay? Cam won't do anything stupid, and I really do think you are over reacting." Elizabeth started to calm down, and Cam didn't bother saying anything that would send her on a rant again. He just wanted her to shut up and leave him alone. He loved his mother, she was his mother after all, but God, she knew how to overreact like the best of them.

"Get back to studying." She ordered him, and allowed Lucky to lead her away from Cam's room.

"Fucking psycho sometimes mom, you know that?" He mumbled under his breath once she was out of earshot. Her reminding him that she and Lucky were going away for the weekend, he pulled out his cell phone. He had planned on behaving, but now he felt like being an ass and purposely going against his mother's best wishes. He searched his contact list for Kristina Davis and sent her a text.

_party at my place fri nite... invite every1_

Cam smiled, knowing that Kristina Davis, the party queen, would get the job done. He lied back down on his bed and looked back up at the ceiling. He would have to find a way to get J.D. Jones an invite as well.

Sam wiped back a few tears as she stood up from her baby's grave. She had been there a few hours already, and she knew it was getting late and cold and she should probably head home.

She was startled by sudden movement behind her, and she wondered if J.D. had come back. Turning around, she was shocked to come face to face with Jason. "You...you're here." She asked, surprised.

He had a bouquet of flowers in his hands and walked over to place it by Lila's grave. "Of course I'm here. I'm sorry I had to leave this morning, but I got the job done as fast as I could so I could get back to you at the Penthouse, but Spinelli told me you had already left, so I came straight here. I'm sorry I'm late."

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "It doesn't matter. You're here now." He wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Can you believe it's been sixteen years? It feels like it was yesterday."

"I know." Jason agreed with her.

"Do you want time alone with her? I can leave if you want." She said, wiping her eyes and breaking his embrace.

He pulled her back into his arms. "You don't need to go anywhere." He told her. "You're freezing. How long have you been here?" He asked her.

"A few hours I think. J.D. and I came a while ago, and I just couldn't leave." She told him, and he looked around the cemetery for a moment. "J.D. already left. I think I freaked her out. I didn't warn her or anything, I just asked if she'd take a walk with me."

"She took off?" Jason asked her.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, but don't worry. I doubt she ran away or anything, she'll probably be at the penthouse when we get back. Like I said, I think I just freaked her out and she needed to get away from me." Sam half laughed. Jason nodded his head in agreement, and wrapped his arms even tighter around Sam. "I hope someone is throwing Lila a sweet sixteen party wherever she is."

Jason laughed. "I bet everyone we've ever loved who died is up there throwing her the biggest sweet sixteen party in the world. And you and I both know that's a lot of people." Sam smiled.

"Would you have danced with her at her sweet sixteen?" She asked him, and he let out a laugh. "Come on, Jason, seriously. Would you have?"

"For our little girl, I would have danced every day." He told her, and she wrapped her arms even tighter around him.

"Would you have danced with me?" She asked, taking them both by surprise.

He took her arms and wrapped them around his neck as he kept his placed protectively around her waist. He slowly began moving from side to side, as they slow danced to the quiet sound of the cemetery. He lowered his head and placed his forehead against hers, as she closed her eyes and let the invisible rhythm take her away. "I'd dance with you every day, too." He whispered to her as they continued to dance.


	17. Chapter 17

_okay....i know you guys are dying to just have answers as much as our PI Sam does, and i promise you'll get them in a couple of chapters. I still have a bit of set up to do, but in about 2 chapters, you'll have some answers. thanks for being patient and enjoying the story, this chapter is a bit of a long one, and oh, it's rated R....  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"And don't order pizza. And since I know you'll order pizza anyway, don't use the emergency money. Pizza isn't an emergency." Elizabeth Webber rattled off all her rules to her boys as she and Lucky stood at the door with their bags, getting ready to take their planned trip down to Atlantic City for their honey moon.

Cam laughed. "Mom. Pizza is a necessity, and when there is none in the house, yes. It becomes an emergency."

Elizabeth stared at her oldest son for a moment before turning to Jake. "Jake, I'm putting you in charge of the emergency money." She handed the money over to him. "And if you have friends over, you need to tell their parents that we aren't home. And no more than two friends over at a time." She focused her attention back on Cam. "And no girls."

"Elizabeth, they'll be fine. We have to go before we end up being late." Lucky tried to get his overbearing wife out of the house. He turned to face Cam. "Cameron, please, just behave while we're gone."

Cam smirked at his parents. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything but behave, father." Lucky shot him a look. "Can you two just leave already? Jake and I will be fine. Tell them, Jake. They believe things you say."

"We'll be fine." Jake told them.

Elizabeth leaned down and kissed Jake on the forehead and then pulled Cam into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "We should be back late tomorrow night. We'll miss you. Love you, boys."

Lucky hugged Jack and Cam after Elizabeth did. "Love you two. See you tomorrow night."

"Bye, we love you, too, now get out of here." Cam said as he pushed them out the door and closed it behind him. The boys watched as their parents got into the car and began to drive away. Cam turned to face Jake. "And now the fun begins."

Jake raised an eyebrow at his brother. "That doesn't sound good."

"Come on. We need to go talk to Kristina. I need to make sure she got everything all set up and I need to make sure Kristina invited J.D." Cam said, as he began to put his jacket on. "And then we need to call this kid in my grade who's brother usually gets the beer and crap for the other parties."

Jake's eyes opened wide. "We're throwing a party?"

"Keep up, Jake. Yes. We're throwing a party. A good one. Now come on, we need to get things ready." Cam said, opening the door and making his way out of their house.

Jake grabbed his jacket and hurried after his brother. "You're trying to give mom a heart attack, aren't you?" Cam laughed in response, and they made their way to Jason's.

Jason had been out all morning working on a job for Sonny, and ever since Sam had moved back into the Penthouse, he had always been anxious about returning home. Today was no different, and as he reached for the doorknob to make his way in, he couldn't help but smile.

He opened the door, and immediately the smile was wiped off of his face and replaced with a confused look. Sam and Spinelli stood in the middle of the living room in some sort of semi-heated argument, and Spinelli had a gun in his hand, waving it around as he spoke with his hands. "No, Spinelli. It's not a good idea, so can you please just drop it?"

"The Jackal understands that you are focused on the history of the Young Thief, but McCall Jackal PI has the opportunities for other clients and perhaps, for the sake of our business, Fair Samantha should just let me take on a few." Spinelli rambled.

Sam shook her head sternly. "You want to go out with a gun and take on a case by yourself? Not going to happen."

"What is going on?" Jason asked as he made his way into the room.

"The Jackal has a case I am willing to work on, but Fair Samantha doesn't think it is a good idea." Spinelli began to explain. "We have been focusing all our time and resources on the Young Thief, and the Jackal understands how important that is and I want to keep her safe and figure things out just as much as you two do. But we have other clients willing to pay and frankly, our PI business could use the extra resources coming in."

Jason nodded his head, having heard Spinelli's side, and turned to face Sam. "He has a gun in his hand, Jason. He could get hurt."

"No guns, Spinelli." Jason said, holding out his hand for it. Spinelli handed it over.

"Stone Cold, the gun isn't the issue here and Fair Samantha knows it." Spinelli tried to reason with them. "She doesn't want to take on anything else right now. It's been over a month of zero activity. The Jackal just fears for the financial side of the business."

Jason looked over at Sam, who didn't say anything. He knew she had been spending a lot of time on J.D.'s case, but he didn't realize she was spending all their time. He wanted to help J.D. as much as she did. So did Spinelli and so did Maxie. But he didn't realize she was putting this much effort into it. "Don't worry about the finances, Spinelli. I'm willing to be a contributor to your funds during this case."

"The Jackal is willing to focus solely on the Young Thief if that is what Fair Samantha wants. I just didn't want our business to go into peril." Spinelli explained to them, not wanting to look heartless in the argument. "I'm going to head over to Maximista's, then. She and I are going to do some work on my laptop pertaining to the Young Thief's case."

Jason nodded his head, and Spinelli gave Sam a weak smile before leaving the Penthouse. "Sam, you're really only working on this case?" Jason asked her the moment Spinelli left.

"Thank you for helping us out financially. I think we'll be fine, you really don't have to." Sam told him, ignoring his question completely.

"Well, if you do, you know I'm willing to help in any way I need to." He told her. "We're going to figure this out, Sam. You don't have to put so much energy into it. We're all here to help figure this out. You, me, Spinelli, even Maxie. It'll figure itself out eventually."

Sam sighed. "I know. I just...I need to do this, that's all."

Jason went to reply, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Hold that thought." He told Sam, as he went over to answer the door. He opened it to reveal Kristina, all dressed up. She had on a short skirt, a lacy shirt that revealed her well developed teenage cleavage, and her hair and makeup looked as though it took her all morning to perfect. "Kristina. You look...nice." Jason said, hesitantly as Sonny's daughter made her way into the Penthouse.

"Thanks Jason. Hi Sam." She greeted her older sister, who looked Kristina up and down.

"Hey, Kristina. Does your mom know you're out dressed like that?" Sam asked, knowing that Alexis would probably freak out if she did.

Kristina laughed. "Not really. I practically ran from my bedroom out the door so she couldn't really see me."

"You going out tonight or something?" Sam asked, knowing there must be a reason for the time spent on her appearance. "And what brings you by here? You and J.D. have plans?"

Jason's head shot over to Sam. "J.D. isn't going out looking anything like that."

Sam and Kristina both laughed. "I'll be sure to let J.D. know her daddy said that." Kristina joked. Jason didn't appreciate it. "Just heading over to Cam's later. Small get together. J.D.'s invited though, where is she? Can she come?"

"To Cam Spencer's house?" Jason asked, his eyebrow raised. "What's the catch. I thought you hate that kid?"

"Firstly, Jason, I'm pretty sure you hate the kid and just assume everyone else should." Kristina told him, her hands resting on her hips. "Secondly, yeah he annoys the hell out of me, but he's alright. And if you must know the truth, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are out of town and Jake and Cam invited me and J.D. over to hang. It'll be really low key."

Jason looked over at Sam, who shrugged. "Go ask J.D." She said, and Kristina ran up the stairs towards J.D.'s room. Jason stared at Sam. "What?" She asked him.

"You're okay with that?" He asked her.

Sam laughed. "J.D. isn't our kid. She's just staying with us until we figure things out. If she wants to go to Cam Spencer's house, who are we to stop her?" Jason slowly nodded his head. She had a point.

Seconds later, J.D. and Kristina made their way down the stairs. "We'll be back later tonight!" Kristina called, as the two of them ran out the door.

Sam and Jason stood in silence for a moment. "Wow." Sam suddenly commented.

"What?" Jason asked her.

"We have the place to ourselves. How often does that happen?" She asked him.

He suddenly became very aware of the empty penthouse, save for Sam. It was then that his phone began to ring, and he answered it. "Morgan?" He spoke with Sonny for a moment before hanging up. He looked over towards Sam. "I need to go finish up some of the job we had this morning. Looks like you get the whole place to yourself." He told her.

She smiled. "Even better." She lied, and he made his way out the door.

When Kristina and J.D. arrived at the Spencer household, it was already full of more kids than J.D. had ever seen in her entire life. The music was loud, there were red cups everywhere, and though every single kid in that house knew the significance of a red cup, J.D. had no idea what was going on.

There were kids dancing, kids laughing, kids being completely obnoxious. The house was hot, the body heat of so many people in the room taking over the fresh air. Cam noticed the two girls as they made their way in and walked over to them. "Good job, Kristina. I'm always impressed by how easily and quickly you can throw together a party. And welcome, Janie. Grab a drink, relax, I'll be your captain and I promise you, it'll be a bumpy ride." He said with a wink, and left the two girls to go talk to some other people.

J.D. looked over at Kristina, already overwhelmed, and Kristina shrugged as she picked up a red cup and began to mingle herself. J.D. knew she was going to be on her own.

About an hour into the party, J.D. was still completely overwhelmed. She kept mostly to herself, just observing the other kids at the party. They all fascinated her, and they way they had been acting fascinated her even more. Needing to get out of the overly crowded living room, J.D. made her way over to the stairs and made her way up.

She came to the first door and opened in slowly. When she saw Jake lying on his bed with a book in his hands, she immediately assumed that it was the younger boy's room. Jake looked up from his book. "Looking for a place to hide out?" He asked her. She nodded her head. "Come on in. Close the door behind you." He told her, and she did.

She made her way over to a chair near his bed and sat down on it. He grabbed for his bookmark and stuck it into his book before he closed it to look over at J.D. "Ever read 'The Outsiders'? I have to read it for school. It's pretty good." J.D. shook her head. "You can borrow it when I'm done if you want." J.D. hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking her head no. "Do you not like to read? Because neither does Cam." He told her, and she just shrugged.

Jake looked at her confused for a moment before he realized the real problem. "Oh. You can't read, can you?" She shook her head no. "Well, I'm gonna have a big test on this book next week. Maybe I can tell you everything about it? That way I can prepare for the test and you can hear the story, and we can ignore the party downstairs." He offered to her with a soft smile that she returned. She nodded her head, and he began explaining it to her.

Kristina had been on her third drink, and she would be lying if she said she didn't feel anything. "Enjoying yourself?" Cam asked her slyly, making his way over to the couch she was leaned up against.

"I'm doing alright." She answered him, taking another sip from her cup.

"Janie tell you how she and I hung out a bit the other night?" Cam asked, and when Kristina shot him a look, he realized that no, J.D. probably didn't tell Kristina, because she didn't talk. "Right. Stupid question. Well we did."

"How nice for you." She told him.

"I think we hit it off." He continued, even though Kristina thought she made it clear she didn't want to be hearing about it. "Something about that girl, I tell you. I'm drawn to her."

Kristina glared at her. "Newsflash, Cam. Everyone is drawn to her. It's not your hormones, it's just her." She snapped at him.

"Whatever, dude. I told you right from the start she was my new victim." Cam told Kristina, then shrugged. "I think I like her."

Kristina scoffed. "Like her? You don't even know her. You've hung out with her once, and she doesn't talk."

"What's with all the attitude, Krissy? You jealous?" Cam asked her with a laugh.

Kristina rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. "Don't be disgusting, Cam. Like I'd really want to put up with your 'I think I'm a pimp' attitude."

Cam shrugged. "And you think I want to put up with your daddy issues?"

"Whatever, Cam." Kristina said, and finished up her drink. "I'm going to go get a refill. You can stay here and keep away from me."

Kristina made her way over to the keg to refill, and when she did, a guy took her cup from her. "Here, let me." He said, and filled her cup before handing it back to her. "You are way too pretty to have to fill your own drinks." He told her.

His name was Mark, and he was on the football team. Kristina smiled at him and took the drink back from him. "Well, thank you."

He leaned over to her. "It's kind of loud down here, and I was thinking maybe we can talk."

She smiled at him. "Let's go upstairs, then." She told him, and lead the way upstairs towards one of the bedrooms.

Back at the penthouse, Jason made his way through the door absolutely exhausted and completely soaked. They got the job done, but it had been harder than they would have liked, resulting in Jason wrestling with a man into the water by the pier.

He kicked his shoes off and made the climb up to his bedroom. Sam was nowhere in sight, so he assumed she must have gotten bored and went out. Making his way into his bedroom, he pulled off his wet shirt and threw it to the ground and unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down to the ground.

Suddenly, he heard a soft moan and sounds coming from the bed. He turned to face Sam as she rolled over in the bed to face him. "Jason?" She asked, completely shocked, sitting up in the bed. He grabbed his pants that her at his ankles and pulled them up as quickly as he could.

"I didn't...I thought you...you were in here?" He stuttered out, completely taken by surprise.

Sam stared at his bare toned chest as she answered him. "No one was around so I thought I'd take a nap. I didn't know when you'd be home." He took a step over to the bed, forgetting that his pants were still unbuckled and unzipped, and they fell right back down to his ankles. Sam poorly attempted to stifled a laugh.

"You think this is funny?" He asked her, amused. He pulled his pants back up and jumped onto the bed, pulling the blankets off of her. She was dressed in only a t-shirt, and he felt his heart begin to pound in his chest as he grabbed her and picked her up, pulling her out of the bed.

"Jason! Put me down!" She yelled, laughing, as he carried her across the room.

Jason laughed. "Get out. I'm getting changed. And it's still my room!"

He carried her over the threshold of the door and placed her on the other side. He smirked at her for a moment, before going to close the door. She put out her hand and stopped it before he could, making her way back into the room and back onto the bed. "Nuh, uh. We share this room now and I am taking a nap!"

She grabbed the covers and pulled them over her head. Jason made his way back over to the bed and jumped back in, trying to force the covers back off of her. She held onto them tightly, refusing to let go, but he was stronger, and in one swift motion, he threw the covers completely off of the bed and onto the other side of the room. Sam pouted. "Well, now I can't nap. I'll be cold."

"Should have left the room like I asked you to." He told her with a shrug, and she grabbed his arm and pulled him down on top of her.

"I'll just substitute you for a blanket." She told him, rolling over and closing her eyes, pretending to go back to sleep.

Jason stared at her for a moment. "And I'm supposed to just stay like this so you can have a nice warm nap?"

She opened her eyes and looked into his, suddenly aware of how close their faces really were as he laid on top of her. "Yes." She said, but it came out in only a whisper. They stayed like that in silence for a moment, both now completely aware of how close they were to each other and how little clothing they both were wearing.

Jason knew having her in his bed was a bad idea. And he couldn't fight it any longer. He leaned down, closing the small gap between them, and captured her lips in his.

It surprised the hell out of him when she captured his back.

All rational thought went out the window, and he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She opened her mouth slightly, and he deepened the kiss, all the passion that had been building up over a month of sharing a bed with her finally reaching it's breaking point.

She couldn't think either. All she knew was that she wanted him. And she wanted him now.

He reached for her oversized sleep shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing her almost naked body. He marveled at it for a moment before losing control and bringing his mouth right to her breasts. She moaned as he kissed her, and she rolled him over so she was on top. He stared up at her and saw the desire in her eyes, and he palmed the back of her head and brought her down to him for a hard kiss.

He let his fingers run down her body to her panties and slowly pulled them down her body. She was now completely naked in front of him, a sight he hasn't seen outside of his dreams in over ten years. He took a moment to look at her, to take her all in. She was still completely and utterly beautiful.

He rolled her back over so he was positioned on top, and she pulled down his pants that were still unbuckled from before. He kissed her neck as she pulled his boxers off next, excitement running through her the moment she realized she still had the same effect on him.

He paused for a moment and lifted his face to look at hers. He expected to see regret. He expected to see that she wanted to change her mind. But all he saw was desire in her eyes, and it only made him want her more.

He moved into her slowly, and she rocked her hips slowly to get adjusted to him. He suddenly thrusted hard, and she let out a moan, telling him to go even harder. He did, and he was suddenly glad they really were home alone. She never was quiet.

He felt himself coming to the climax and he moved faster and harder as she began to come to hers. She called out his name, and he collapsed on top of her, as they both breathed heavy. He rolled off of her, and she moved in close to him. He wrapped an arm around her and was still amazed at how their bodies fit perfectly together.

At the party, Cam began to regret pissing off Kristina, and after talking to a friend for a good fifteen minutes about their Spanish teacher's breasts, he decided to go off in search of her. Looking around the house, she was no where in sight, and he felt his eyes narrow as he began to get a little irritated. "Hey, Dana, have you seen Kristina?" He asked one of Kristina's cheerleader friends.

"Last I saw she was with Mark." Dana told him, and it was the only confirmation he needed. Annoyed, irritated, and downright pissed, he made his way up the stairs, knowing that Kristina was probably slutting it up with the school football captain. Typical.

Cam opened Jake's bedroom door in a swift movement and looked in, surprised to see J.D. and Jake sitting around reading. "Something wrong?" Jake asked, confused by his brother's sudden appearance.

Cam didn't answer them and stormed into his room, which was empty. J.D. and Jake made their way out of Jake's room, curious as to what was going on. They followed Cam down the hall as he made his way to their parent's bedroom.

The call came from downstairs. "Everyone run! Parent alert!" And while Jake's eyes opened wide, Cam didn't seem to notice. He yanked open his parents bedroom door as Jake ran over to the window.

"Cam! Mom and dad are home!" He yelled, but his brother wasn't paying attention.

Cam's emotions shifted the moment he opened the door. Mark and Kristina were in his parents bed, but it wasn't what he expected to be. "Get off of me!" He heard Kristina yell at the stronger boy who was holding her down underneath him, and it was all he needed to hear. He ran over to the much stronger built boy and grabbed him, pulling him off of Kristina and across the room.

"You heard her! Get the fuck off of her!" Cam yelled, and Mark took a second to regain his balance, the alcohol affecting him a little. J.D. made her way into the room and over to Kristina, who was crying, wide eyed as she watched the exchange between Cam and Mark take place.

Mark pushed Cam out of his way. "Get away from me, faggot." He said and made his way over towards the door. Cam grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, swinging and hitting Mark right in the face.

"Tell her you're sorry and get the fuck out of my house! And never touch her again, you hear me?" He yelled into Mark's face.

Mark had enough. He got up, ran over towards Cam, and pushed him into the wall--hard. "Cam!" Kristina yelled, and Cam sat on the floor a minute in pain. Mark made his exit, and Kristina made her way over to Cam, with J.D. right behind her. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

"The wall broke my fall." He groaned. "Are you okay?" He asked her, and she just nodded her head.

In the hall, Jake stood nervously waiting for his parents to make their way into the house and hoping that his brother could handle the older boy that was taking advantage of Kristina. His parents were going to flip out. He and Cam were busted, and he was not looking forward to the looks on his parents face once they walked through the door.

He watched as Mark suddenly ran out of his parents bedroom, and Jake stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking his view. "Get out of my way, you little punk." Mark yelled at him.

Jake didn't move. He knew what this boy was doing to Kristina was wrong, and he shouldn't get away with it. If he could only keep the guy here for a few more seconds, Lucky would walk through the door and could arrest him. "I said move, you little bastard!"

Jake still didn't move. He was Jason Morgan's son, and he knew that Jason wouldn't move. Jason wouldn't let this kid get away with doing that to a girl, so neither would he. "I said move!" Mark pushed Jake to the side with all his force, but Jake was quick. He grabbed Mark by the arm, and before he knew it, the momentum of Mark's push caused them both to lose balance, and he hit the railing of the stairs, taking Mark with him. The force of both kids hitting the railing, causing it to break, and seconds after Lucky and Elizabeth walked into their house, eyes wide at the scene of all the kids partying and drinking, Jake and Mark came falling off the second story of the house, landing square on the glass coffee table, shattering it.

Elizabeth screamed, running towards her son, and all the other kids scattered, running out the door and away from the house. Cam, J.D., and Kristina came running down the stairs. "Dad! Grab that kid! Don't let him leave!" Cam screamed, and Lucky grabbed Mark by the shirt.

Mark was hurt, there was no doubt about it, but he had landed on Jake, who took the bulk of the fall. Elizabeth ran to her son and he let out a scream as she took him into her arms, in obvious pain. It was then she realized how badly he was bleeding. "Oh my God, Cam! Call 9-1-1!"

The coffee table had shattered, and a big piece of glass was stuck in Jake's stomach.

"Jake! Oh God, do we pull it out?" Lucky asked Elizabeth. "Is he okay?"

Elizabeth tried to remain calm as she examined her little boy. "He'll be okay it doesn't look like he hit a major artery but I don't know I can't tell! Don't pull it out. I just have to apply pressure. Cam! Call an ambulance!"

Cam dialed 9-1-1 as J.D. and Kristina stood by and watched everything that was going on around him. After he hung up with 9-1-1, Cam dialed Jason Morgan's number.

Jason and Sam lied in bed in each others arms, neither one of them saying a word. They didn't know what to say. What on earth had they just done? Where did it leave them now? Did they want to take the leap into something more? Or was this just a moment that neither one of them should talk about?

A million thoughts were running through each of their minds, and neither one of them knew what to do next. "Jason..." Sam finally spoke, breaking the silence.

Jason's phone chose that moment to ring, and he sighed in frustration as he picked it up. "Morgan."

"Mr. Morgan? Jake...he's hurt. Meet us at General Hosptial." Cam's frantic voice rang out through the phone. "And call Kristina's mom or dad." Before Jason could ask what happened, Cam hung up the phone.

"Is something wrong?" Sam asked, noticing the worried look of fear on Jason's face.

"It's Jake." He told her. "We need to go to General Hospital."


	18. Chapter 18

_sorry about the cliffhanger. i know you guys probably hate those....and sorry to say but i probably wont update again until monday-ish. i work like a dog on weekends and its hard to find time to update. but im glad you guys are enjoying it, and here is the next installment!  
_

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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jason quickly made his way into General Hospital with Sam following closely behind her. He may not have had the closest relationship with Jake, but Jake was his son, and he loved him. And hearing that he was in the hospital and hurt with no other details scared Jason. He needed to make sure Jake was going to be okay.

Sam had called Alexis on their way, relaying Cam's information to get her and/or Sonny down to General Hospital. When she couldn't give Alexis any details whatsoever, Alexis had begun to panic, and Sam was sure she ran out the door and into her car before even hanging up the phone.

Jason and Sam made their way into the ER waiting area and found Elizabeth, Lucky, Cam, and J.D. all standing around, Elizabeth with tears stained down her face as the rest of them all just had panicked and worried expressions on theirs. "Elizabeth, Lucky. What happened?" Jason asked, quickly walking over to them. Sam made her way over to J.D. and pulled her in for a hug.

"Sam?" Sam looked over towards the seat noticing that Kristina was also in the room, wrapped in a blanket with mascara tears dripping down her face.

"Oh my God, Kristina what happened?" Kristina couldn't answer Sam's question. She began to cry as her sister wrapped her arms around her. Sam reached over and pulled J.D. in close so she could hold onto both girls as they figured out what on earth happened.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed into a glare as Jason approached her and Lucky. "What are you doing here?" She barked at him.

"I called him." Cam spoke up. He stood quietly over by Kristina, and he was ten times paler than any of them had ever seen him be before. "He's Jake's dad. I called him after I called 9-1-1."

"What happened? Is Jake okay?" Jason asked frantically.

Lucky opened his mouth to answer him, but Elizabeth cut him off. "You keep your trash out of my house, you understand me, Jason! You keep Kristina and that other girl away from my boys! This is all their fault!" She pointed a finger at Kristina. "It's all that little slut's fault that my baby is in intensive care!"

"Elizabeth, you need to calm down." Lucky told her, and then turned to face Jason. "The kids threw a party at our place. Elizabeth and I were on our way to Atlantic City when Robin Scorpio called and told us that there was definitely something going on at our house. We turned right around and when we got their, all the kids scattered. Jake got into an altercation with this kid, Mark. They fell from the banister of the stairs, and Jake landed on the glass coffee table."

"Shit." Sam whispered.

"A piece of glass got lodged in his stomach." Lucky finished.

Jason took in all the information. "Is he okay?"

"The glass didn't hit any arteries or anything, thank God, but he lost a lot of blood, Jason, and I'd appreciate it if you told Sam to keep her whore of a sister away from my boys!" Elizabeth yelled.

Sam stood up to defend her sister. "Elizabeth, I know you're upset and reasonably so, your son is hurt, but you need to stop talking like that about Kristina."

"It's not Kristina's fault, mom." Cam said, defending the girl as well. "Mark was taking total advantage of her. He wouldn't back off of her. She didn't do anything wrong."

Sam's eyes opened wide. "Oh, God. Kristina, are you okay?" She asked, and Kristina just nodded her head. "Did he..."

"No." Kristina interjected before Sam could ask the question. "Cam pulled him off of me." Sam opened her mouth to speak, but it was then that Alexis stormed her way into the room.

"Kristina! What happened?" She asked, running over towards her daughter.

"I'll tell you what happened. Your daughter was involved in a huge party at our house and now our son is seriously hurt because of her careless actions!" Elizabeth yelled again.

Alexis completely ignored her. "Are you okay? Come on, let's get you home." She said, knowing that Kristina did not need to be in that room with Elizabeth's accusations right now. Alexis turned to Sam as Kristina stood up and she wrapped an arm around her. "Call me later after you find out more details." She said, wanting to know what happened, but also wanting to get her daughter out of there.

"Mark's a dead man." Cam said softly. Only J.D. and Sam heard him.

Sam shook her head at him. "You don't want to seek revenge on this kid, Cam. It'll make you worse than him."

"Not me." Cam said, and both J.D. and Sam looked at him curiously. "He tried to rape Sonny Corinthos' daughter and hurt Jason Morgan's son. That kid just gave himself a sentence." Sam looked away from Cam. She couldn't argue with that.

"So what's going on with Jake?" Jason asked, needing more answers. To say that the waiting room right there was hectic would have been an understatement. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Monica is with him now. He had to have emergency surgery to repair the damages the glass caused. She said he should be fine, in pain, but fine, but that we'd know more after the surgery. We're just waiting on Monica to tell us how it went now." Lucky filled Jason in.

Jason nodded his head and walked over towards Sam. "I'm going to stay and wait. You should get J.D. home." He told her, but she shook her head.

"I want to wait with you, Jason. I'll call Maxie and have her pick up J.D." Sam told him.

"It could be a while. You don't have to." He said to her, running a hand through his hair and looking back over at Lucky and Elizabeth. It would be awkward enough as it was, waiting around with them. He didn't want to put Sam through the awkwardness as well.

Sam smiled softly at him. "I know I don't have to. I want to. I'm gonna call Maxie." She took Jason's hand in hers.

"Thank you." Jason told her quietly, as she pulled out her cell phone to call the younger blonde.

Maxie came to pick up J.D. within minutes, and decided that the two of them were going to grab a really late dinner, knowing that J.D. was probably too riled up to just go home to sleep. They made their way to a late night diner, and sat at a table for two, Maxie already chatting away. "I so wish you could talk right now, because I would love to hear the gossip about this whole party ordeal."

The waiter came over and asked the girls what they want, interrupting Maxie's flow of conversation. "Uh, I'll have a cob salad, can you put the dressing on the side please? And a diet coke with that. And she'll have chicken fingers. And honey mustard for her fries. And she'll just have a water to drink, but no lemon." Maxie ordered for them. It always made J.D. smile when Maxie knew exactly what to say for her. Maxie was one of the only people who really knew J.D., even though J.D. never spoke a word.

The waiter wrote down their order and left J.D. and Maxie alone once again. "Seriously though, how on earth did you end up at the Spencer house? Have I not taught you well enough? Lucky and Elizabeth are not the people you want to associate yourself with. Especially Elizabeth. She's a no good whore. A bitch whore. A stupid bitch whore."

J.D. had to bite her lip from laughing, but she questioned Maxie with her eyes, wanting to know more. "It's bullshit that she keeps Jake from Jason because he's dangerous. Um, hello? You aren't mother of the year. Half the times that boy has been in danger has been under her own roof. Personally, I think Jason should take his balls back from Elizabeth, since I'm fairly certain she keeps them in a jar on the mantle, and fight for his son."

The waitress came back over and put their drinks on the table. Maxie muttered a thank you, and J.D. smiled at her. "Poor Sam. I'm shocked she's even willing to sit in the waiting room with those people for that kid. Especially with all the history there." J.D. looked at Maxie curiously. "Elizabeth 'I'm a whore' Webber is the reason Sam and Jason broke up to begin with. God, they were such the power couple, too. I wasn't really around much when it all happened, I met Sam when it all was already in motion really, and I guess maybe I helped contribute to it, but how was I supposed to know breaking up Elizabeth and Lucky's marriage was going to cause a chain of events like that?" J.D. stared at Maxie. "Am I going too fast for you?"

J.D. nodded her head. Maxie continued slowly. "Jason and Sam broke up when she got shot. During that time, they both obviously still loved each other, but Sam slept with Ric and Jason slept with Elizabeth, and boom! Enter baby Jake. Jason lied about being the father to Sam, and then Sam found out and didn't tell him she knew, and then Jake got kidnapped and Sam watched but said nothing and then Jason threatened Sam, oh wait, was that before or after she hired thugs to threaten Elizabeth and the boys." Maxie paused for a moment, confusing herself, as J.D.'s head spun a little. "You know what? I'm making them both look really bad, aren't I?"

J.D. nodded her head with a smirk. "Just know that Jason and Sam loved each other very, very much. I think they still do. But they both hurt each other really badly, and it was hard for them to come back from that." Maxie took a sip from her diet coke. "It's funny though, when you think about it. The circumstances surrounding one baby is what brought them together and the circumstances of another baby is what tore them apart."

This caught J.D.'s attention, but before Maxie could continue, the waitress brought their food, interrupting the entire flow of conversation.

Back at the hospital, Elizabeth nearly jumped Monica when she came into view. "How's Jake? How's my baby?" She asked frantically.

Monica smiled a soft smile. "Jake should be just fine. He's in recovery right now, but all of his vitals seem to be fine. As a precaution, though, I think it'd be best if both you and Jason donated blood."

"Blood? Why? Does he need a transfusion? You said he was okay." Elizabeth continued to be frantic, and Lucky wrapped an arm around her to console her.

"He should be fine, but he did lose a lot of blood. And just to be on the safe side I think it's for the best." Monica told them, and both Elizabeth and Jason agreed to donate the blood. Sam went with Jason and Lucky with Elizabeth while they did. Afterwards, they all met back in the waiting room, and Elizabeth asked if they could see Jake. Monica told them that he was awake, and they could see him as long as they didn't overwhelm him.

Sam and Jason sat in the waiting area together as Elizabeth and Lucky went in to see Jake. "Are you going to go in to see him?" Sam asked, the silence beginning to overwhelm her.

"I don't know." Jason told her. "I wouldn't know what to say to him. I just want to make sure he's okay." He looked down at his hands as he spoke, and Sam brought her hand over to his. He looked over at her.

"You'll know what to say when you're in there." She told him, and gave him an encouraging smile. She wanted to talk to him about what they had done. She wanted to ask him about why they made love and what they plan on doing from there. But at the same time, she wanted to avoid it all together, and she knew now wasn't the best time to bring it up anyway, so she kept quiet.

He opened his mouth, seemingly a bout to say something, when Elizabeth and Lucky came out of Jake's room. Jason and Sam stood up and walked over to them. "How is he?"

"He's in pain, and worn out, but he's okay." Elizabeth said, wiping a few tears away from her face.

Jason nodded his head, and when he didn't say anything else, Sam nudged him a bit. "Can I go see him?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Elizabeth answered quickly, shocking both Lucky and Sam.

Lucky spoke up. "Let Jason see him. He was just as scared and concerned for his son as we were." He tried to reason.

"No. It's not a good idea." Elizabeth said. Jason looked over at Sam who was glaring at Elizabeth. If the situation wasn't so dire, he would have started to laugh. Sam took his hand in hers, and it was all the support he needed. He let go of her hand and began walking passed Elizabeth and Lucky towards Jake's room. "Where do you think you're going?" Elizabeth asked him.

Jason continued walking and opened Jake's door. "To see my son." He said, before closing the door behind him, cutting off Elizabeth from saying anything else.

Jake's eyes were closed as he laid in the hospital bed, and Jason walked over and took a seat in the chair placed next to him. He didn't say anything, and he was tempted to reach his hand out to hold Jake's but he held back.

Jake slowly opened his eyes and looked over at Jason. "Dad?" He asked in a soft cracked voice in surprise.

"Hey buddy." Jason replied quietly. He didn't know what else to say. He took a deep breath. "How you feeling."

"It hurts a lot, but I'm okay." Jake told him. Awkward silence set in. "I tried to stop him from getting away." Jake said suddenly, in a quiet voice.

Jason looked at him curiously. "Stop who?"

"The guy who tried to hurt Kristina. And who punched Cameron." Jake explained. "He was going to get away, and I tried to stop him."

"He was a lot bigger than you. You probably should have let someone else handle it." Jason said, trying to think of the responsible thing to say in a situation like this. He wasn't really sure. He was proud of his son's actions, but would Elizabeth be?

Jake looked down away from Jason. "You wouldn't have let him get away. I thought maybe..."

"Maybe what?" Jason asked when Jake's sentence drifted off.

Jake shook his head. "Nothing."

More awkward silence set in. Neither one of them knowing what to say next. Jason took another deep breath. "I'm proud of what you did." He said, and Jake looked up at him in shock. "Sticking up for Kristina and your brother like that. I'm proud of you. I wish you didn't have to get hurt for it, and I'm glad you are okay, but I'm proud of you."

Jake stared at his father for a moment before responding, "thank you." Jason pushed his apprehension aside and brought his hand over to his son's. As he took his son's hand in his, Jake looked up at him and smiled. Jason smiled back.

It was a long and late night, and when Jason and Sam made their way back into the penthouse, they both could barely keep their eyes open. Jake was going to have to at least spend the night in the hospital, and Jason made Monica promise to call if there was any change in his condition. The whole ordeal had scared him, a lot, and it was a huge relief knowing that Jake was okay.

Jason followed Sam as they made their way into the bedroom, after Sam checked to make sure J.D. was in bed, and when they crawled into bed, neither one of them addressed the elephant that was still in the room. It was a long night, and neither of them had the energy for it. They lied in bed in silence for a moment, Jason staring at the ceiling trying to calm his body down after all the emotions it went through that day. Sam watched him, and wanting to protect him from his thoughts and emotions, she cuddled in close to him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.

And with her arms around him, he was able to close his eyes and go to sleep.

J.D. suddenly felt a breeze come into the room and she slowly opened her eyes to reach down to pull her comforter around her tighter. When she did, she noticed that her window was opened, and that the wind outside was what was making her cold and waking her up from her deep sleep.

She fought the urge to get up and close it, being too tired to actually have any desire to do so whatsoever. But the November air was cold, and she knew she would never get back to sleep being that cold, so she reluctantly got up out of bed and over to the window to close it. She didn't remember opening it, but she shrugged it off as she reached up to pull it down shut.

Before she could, she suddenly felt arms wrap around her and a hand whip over her mouth. "Hello, little girl. We've been looking for you." The voice whispered in her ear.

She froze, a cold chill going down her spine as the fear soared throughout her body. He wrapped his arms around her as he lifted her up. She struggled, but she was no match for the strong man He sent after her. He dragged her as he made his way over towards the window with her in his arms to take her away.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she strugged, but it was useless. She fought with all her weight against the man, causing him to struggle to move her as he tried to get her out the window.

She knew what she had to do. Jason promised he would protect her.

She continued to struggle, and getting her mouth free from his hand, she took in a deep breath before opening her mouth. She screamed.

"Jason!"


	19. Chapter 19

_hey everyone! okay, so i know this chapter is going to leave you all with a million questions, but bare with me, everything WILL be explained, i swear, and will make sense. So please, just...hang in there, hahaha enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sam jerked her body, waking Jason up from a deep sleep. He looked over towards her, her arms wrapped around his body and her head on his chest, and when he was positive she was still contently sleeping, he brought his hand up to run through her hair. The touch caused her to cuddle in closer to him, and he smiled as she let out a soft snore.

He couldn't deny the feeling of overwhelming content and longing that made it's way through his body. He never wanted to spend another night without her by his side.

He knew what they were doing was taking the easy way out. They were ignoring the past to keep the present. He didn't want to unleash it all, and he knew she certainly didn't, but he also knew they would be stuck in this limbo that they were in if they kept ignoring it. On the one hand, it didn't matter. She was in his arms. On the other hand, sometimes he couldn't fight the fact that he wanted more. And he didn't know if they could ever have more if they never opened Pandora's box and talked about it all.

She let out a second snore, louder than the first one, and he had to fight the urge to laugh. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, and felt at ease, as he closed his eyes to fall back asleep.

The next room over, Spinelli was still wide awake, typing away at his laptop, a bag of barbecue chips by his side. He and Maxie had actually made progress when he had gone over to her place to work. After his little fight with Sam about the business, he knew this case had to be solved. If not only for J.D., for Sam.

Maxie had suggested he go and search hospital records for around the time J.D. was born. "Maximista, there are two flaws in that plan." He had said to Maxie. "We do not know how old the Young Thief is, and also, she just came to Port Charles only a month or so ago."

"Or maybe," Maxie had suggested, "she just came back a month or so ago."

And Spinelli had to agree that it was a possibility. It was a thought to go on, at the very least, and he had nothing else. No clues, no nothing. Every search he and Sam had been performing over the past month came up empty. He figured, at the very least, Maxie's idea was an idea, and something he might as well look into.

He had decided that he would search the General Hospital records for baby girl births ranging from ages fourteen to twenty, knowing that J.D.'s age had to fall somewhere in between there. He was sure that a lot of baby girls were born in that time, and it would take a while to sift through them all, but he knew he had to. Every search was imperative until they had any real clues.

While at Maxie's, he had come across the birth records for a Baby Girl McCall, and both he and Maxie paused for a moment in silence.

"Spinelli, close that." Maxie said, referring to Sam's baby's birth records. She didn't know Sam then, but she knew Sam enough now to know how much that baby's death had affected her. "Just keep looking through the other records."

He and Maxie hadn't spoken about Sam's baby's file after he clicked out of it and moved onto the next, but he couldn't get it out of his mind. When he got back to the Penthouse that night, he turned on the laptop and pulled up the records for little Lila McCall. He felt awkward digging her records up with Sam in the next room, but the overwhelming feeling of curiosity took over.

There weren't many records, but Spinelli hadn't expected much from a child who never even got to breathe her first breath. Birth records. Paternity tests done during the pregnancy. But when Spinelli clicked on his laptop to find her death records, his search came up empty.

He had spent every hour that went by that night searching for little Lila McCall's death records, and had for the most part come up empty. He almost was going to just give up, deciding that he should leave the past in the past, but decided one more search engine couldn't hurt.

It was then that he found the records--traced right back to AJ Quartermaine.

"What?" Spinelli thought out loud to himself. "This doesn't even make sense..."

It was then that the sound of a horrified scream sounded from down the hallway, pulling both Spinelli and Jason from their thoughts. "Jason!"

Jason's eyes shot opened, and he immediately looked over at Sam, who stirred and slowly opened her eyes as well. "What was that?" She mumbled in a sleepy haze, still half asleep.

"Stay here." Jason told her, as he climbed out of the bed and headed over to the bedroom door. He turned back and saw that Sam was about to protest. "Sam, stay here." Normally she would have argued and followed him anyway, but she was still half asleep, so she sat in the bed and tried to wake herself up as he left the room.

He made his way out into the hallway, where Spinelli had opened his door and stuck his head out. "Stone Cold, is everything okay?" He asked, but Jason ignored him and kept walking. He heard his name being called out loud and clear in a voice he had never heard before. Had J.D. called out for him?

He made his way to her door and pushed it open, coming face to face with a man who had his arms grasped tightly around J.D., trying to pull both himself and the young girl out the window. "Hey!" He yelled out, and the man turned to face him, a gun immediately being pointed at Jason, who pulled out his own gun to point back. "Let go of her." He commanded.

Spinelli ran up behind Jason and watched as he and the other man had each other in a stand still. "Or what? You shoot at me?" The man spoke with a vile tone in his voice. He positioned J.D. so she was in front of him. "Go ahead. Don't miss." He taunted Jason, knowing full well the shot was impossible, and that Jason would more than likely hit the girl in his grip.

Jason looked and made eye contact with J.D., who stopped her struggle to look back into Jason's gaze. A silent communication between the two of them.

"Jason, help!" Suddenly, a scream came from the other room, and Jason's heart flew up into his throat as he heard Sam yelling for help. He kept his gun pointed at the man who held J.D., and turned to look towards the other room, knowing he was caught in between and had to make a decision fast.

He pushed Spinelli over towards his bedroom, hoping that maybe Spinelli could keep her from getting hurt for a moment, and he looked back over to J.D. She nodded back at him and with all her weight swung her body upward, hooking her legs on the dresser next to them, leaving Jason with a wide open shot to the man's torso. Without hesitation, Jason fired, and the man fell to the ground, letting go of his grip on J.D.

Jason immediately turned to head towards Sam, and J.D. followed closely behind him. Spinelli had detoured to his room to grab the gun both Sam and Jason had forbid him to have, and was pointing it towards a man that held Sam the very same way the first man held J.D. Jason pushed passed Spinelli and held his own gun at the man. "Put her down. Now." Jason commanded in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Jason, look out!" Sam yelled, and Jason turned around to come face to face with a third man who swung hard at his face. Jason stumbled back a bit from the force of the sucker punch, and he swung his gun hard at the man's face. Before he could aim his gun at the man who was now on the ground, a fourth man came and grabbed Jason's arm. The two of them struggled with the gun in Jason's hand.

Spinelli made his way over to Sam, who managed to struggle enough to make the man who held her lose balance and land against the wall. Spinelli used his gun to knock the man unconscious, setting Sam free. J.D. ran over to the man who was fighting with Jason over his gun and jumped on his back, attempting to distract him enough to get Jason's arm and gun free.

It was then that a forth and fifth man appeared, and Jason realized that there could be a dozen of them. One of the man grabbed at J.D., pulling her off of the man's back she was on, and swung her hard into a wall. A wave of dizziness washed over her from the impact of her head against the wall, and the man picked her up and held her tight, knowing that she wasn't going anywhere this time.

Jason looked over at J.D. and did his best to break free to help her, but two more men appeared, all ganging up on Jason. Whoever sent these men meant business. He was well prepared and knew that they would probably put up a fight. He wasn't naive.

Jason looked over at Spinelli and Sam, who were both struggling to keep the men they were fighting with at bay, but Jason could tell it was a fight they were losing. He needed to break free from the men that surrounded him. He pulled his trigger at shot. One of the men fell.

He swung his arm hard, and stumbled a bit when one of the men stepped aside to get out of the way from getting hit, and he saw how close to the stairs he was. Two of the men must have noticed, too, because before he could get his bearing, the pushed at him hard, causing him to tumble down the stairs.

"Jason!" He looked up at J.D. who called out his name for a second time that night. It was the last thing he heard before everything faded black.

His head pounded. "Jason, Jason, wake up!" He heard Sam calling out for him, but he didn't move. "Jason, wake up!" He fought every pain he had soaring through his body and slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh, Stone Cold! Thank God." Spinelli was standing over him, and he slowly sat up.

He looked around them confused, taking in his surroundings. They were no longer in the Penthouse. He thought for a moment that they were in a jail cell, and he turned next to him to see that he and Spinelli were separated from Sam and J.D. in two separate cells. Blinking and looking around more thoroughly, he knew they weren't in a real jail.

It was dark and grimy and more like a dungeon than anything else he could think to explain it as. "What happened?" He asked.

"The Evil Doers tossed you down the stairs, and while you were unconscious, they ganged up on Fair Samantha, the Young Thief, and I. We put up a good fight, but there were too many of them. They captured us and brought us here." Spinelli explained.

Sam walked up against the bars that separated them. "They left us here. I think to go get whoever sent them. We've been waiting for a while, you were out for a long time. Are you okay?" She asked Jason.

"I'm fine." He said, standing up. "Are you okay?" He asked her, and she nodded. "You Spin? J.D.?" He asked the other two. Spinelli nodded, and when he turned to look towards J.D., he saw her cowered in the corner of her and Sam's cell, a look of horror on her face. "J.D.?" Jason called out to her.

Sam followed his gaze. "She's been like that since we got here." She told Jason. "I tried to go comfort her, but she flinched away. I think..." Sam paused. "I think she's been here before."

"J.D." Jason spoke to her. "Do you know who brought us here? Do you know what's going on?" She didn't turn to look at him.

"Do you know where we are?" Sam asked her in a soft voice. J.D. took a deep breath and nodded her head, answering all their questions. "Where are we, J.D.?" Sam asked her, taking a step closer to the horrified girl.

In a soft, quiet voice, J.D. answered her. "Home."

All three of the others' eyes opened wide, not only by the fact that she spoke to them, but because of the realization that this is where J.D. had come to them from. "Who...who brought us here, J.D.?" Sam asked her. "Who kept you here?"

J.D.'s breathing became ragged. "Get out. We need to. You need to get out." She said, looking Sam in the eyes. She spoke slowly and with a cracked voice, most likely the result from not talking for so long. "Go. You need to go." She raised her voice a bit.

"We all need to get out of here." Jason spoke to her. "We'll find a way out, okay?"

J.D. shook her head. "Sam. He wants Sam. He's always..." she paused to take a breath, "wanted Sam."

"Who?" Sam asked her. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who wants Sam?" Jason asked sternly, his heart pounding in his chest. "J.D.! Who wants Sam!"

Before J.D. could say anything else, the large stone door to the front of the room swung open, hard, the sound echoing throughout the room and startling the four of them. A man made his way in, a black hood over his face as he walked to the center of the room with such eerie ease, it sent chills through Sam's spine. J.D. stepped back and Sam turned to look at the girl, who now was paler than anyone she's ever seen before. "Him." J.D. whispered, answering Jason's question.

"Welcome home, little girl." The man spoke to J.D., and upon hearing his voice, Sam froze. Jason's blood began to boil. It couldn't be... "You know, as angry as I was that you escaped, turns out you did me a favor." He took a few steps forward towards Sam, and she backed away, fear soaring throughout her body.

He reached for his hood and pulled it back, and Sam didn't know whether to scream, laugh, or cry. "Hello, Sam." He smiled at her.

She almost couldn't believe her eyes, and everything else faded around her as she looked into his eyes. "Manny?"


	20. Chapter 20

_okay. here it is. the big explanation you've all been waiting for!! enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sam felt her blood come to a boil. She felt her whole body begin to shake, and her eyes narrow as they filled with tears that burned her as she refused to let them fall. Her breathing hitched, and a scream was trapped in her throat. Anger and fear soared through her body, and her mind began to spin. She wasn't sure if she was in control of her emotions anymore.

"Miss me?" He taunted her as he walked forward, his face inches from her own. The only thing keeping their heads from touching were the metal bars that kept her trapped. She didn't move. She held her ground, seconds away from charging at him.

Jason, too, felt the anger build inside of him. "Get away from her!" He yelled, his hands gripping the metal bars as he attempted to use every ounce of strength he had to pull them apart. "You're supposed to be dead!" He knew it sounded ridiculous, obviously Manny was alive and standing in front of them, but Jason didn't care how stupid his statement was. It was true. Manny was supposed to be dead. Not a threat to him, and definitely not a threat to Sam, anymore.

Manny turned to face Jason, a smirk playing across his face that Jason wanted more than anything to wipe off. "You underestimate me." He said with a laugh.

Sam couldn't control herself anymore. She rammed into the bars and wrapped her arms tightly around Manny's neck. "You son of a bitch!" She yelled as she did her best to strangle him. She heard Jason called out her name, but she ignored it. Everything around her was gone. It was just her and that bastard standing in front of her.

Manny used his strength to pull backwards, and with the bars separating Sam from him, he managed to escape her grip with ease. The small chaos had drawn attention to Manny's guards, and four of his men came into the room to make sure everything was in order. Manny turned to face them. "Bring me the nukpana. And the bucket." He instructed one of them, who immediately left the room to do as he was told.

"What do you want with us, Manny?" Jason asked in a stern voice that dripped with bitterness. He and Sam had taken on Manny once, they could do it again. And this time, he would see to it that Manny died.

Spinelli stood wide eyed in the back of the cell, and turned to face Jason. "Manny? Does the Jackal's ears deceive him? This is the Manny? Fair Samantha's Manny?" He asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Manny laughed as he looked into Sam's eyes with his evil gleam. "She is fair, isn't she." He said, his eyes looking up and down her body. It had been a long time since he laid his eyes on her. Too long.

"Keep your eyes off of her!" Jason yelled as Sam held her ground.

Manny ignored him and looked passed Sam towards the young girl who this whole time kept quiet and did her best to hide in the shadows. "Welcome home, pet." He greeted her, and she felt chills up and down her whole body. "You know, I was going to punish you severely for thinking you could leave me." He looked back over at Sam. "But it turns out you did me a favor." The man who had left returned with a medium sized bucket in one hand and a small glass container in the other. Manny motioned for him to bring the items over to him, and he did, placing them at Manny's feet. "I'll go somewhat easy on you for that." He told J.D.

There were fumes coming from whatever was inside of the bucket that made Jason a little lightheaded when he breathed it in too hard. "What do you want, Manny? Some sick revenge?"

Manny ignored Jason. He motioned to one of his men, who walked over to Sam and J.D.'s cell and opened it, pushing Sam out of his way, who fought hard against him. Two other men had to follow him to hold Sam back as she strugged, as the first man grabbed at J.D. and pulled her out of the cell and over to Manny. The other two men threw Sam back and exited, locking the cell back behind them. "You leave her alone, you son of a bitch!" Sam yelled at Manny, as his men forced J.D. down by his feet in front of the bucket, and they held her down in place.

"Leave her alone!" Jason joined in, as he forced his body against the cell, trying to break it free.

"She belongs to me." Manny said, grabbing the back of her head with his hand. "And she needs to be punished for forgetting that." With one swift movement, he pushed her head down into the bucket, and her screams died on as her face was submerged in the liquid that filled it up. He forced her head down for a few moments, as Sam, Spinelli, and Jason all yelled for him to stop, not knowing what exactly was in the bucket, but knowing with Manny, it wasn't just water.

Manny finally pulled her head out from the bucket and she fell to the ground. She grabbed at her neck as she choked and coughed and did her best to breathe, with no avail. "What did you do! What's in that bucket!" Sam yelled.

"Ammonia." Jason said quietly, realizing what the smell was.

Manny smirked. "Very good, Jason. It's my own special mix of ammonia and bleach. But don't worry. She'll be fine, if she can relax and hold her breath long enough. It's actually interesting. Let's see if she can handle it." He said, amused, as his eyes fell back down at J.D., who struggled with her body to get some kind of fresh air into her lungs.

"J.D.!" Sam called out to her. "You son of a bitch, I'll fucking kill you! You leave J.D. alone you bastard!" She yelled, her body shaking violently from the anger that soared within her.

Manny looked over at J.D. amused. "J.D.? Is that what you're letting them call you?" He turned back towards Sam. "So I guess it's safe to say you weren't expecting any of this at all. And if I'm assuming correctly, you haven't a clue in that pretty little head of yours about what's going on."

J.D. was too lightheaded and dizzy from the lack of oxygen to move. She stayed where she was on the floor as she continued to gasp for air. Sam and Jason both held their grounds, their eyes pointed like daggers at Manny, their hands gripping the bars that separated them from him tightly, as Spinelli watched as it all played out in the background. Manny held out his hand, and the man who had brought in the bucket handed him the small glass container he had brought in as well. Manny held it up so that Jason, Sam, and Spinelli could see what was inside. "Do you know what this is?" He asked the group.

"The arachnid?" Spinelli answered the obvious as they all watched it try and use it's eight long legs to crawl up the side of the glass container. It's body was long like a centepede, but it's long hairy legs and two fangs resembled those of a tarantula. It was deep red in color and about the size of a quarter, and looking at it made Spinelli itchy. "Otherwise known as the spider."

Manny looked over at Spinelli with a raised eyebrow. "Very good." He told him. "But this is no ordinary spider." Manny walked closer to the caged gang so they could get a better look. "This is nukpana, otherwise known as the spider of death."

"So what, the spider is venomous?" Jason asked, not even close to being amused.

Manny laughed. "No, see, this is where it gets interesting. One bite from this spider, and the body falls into a paralyzed catatonic state. The pulse slows, the body freezes." Manny held up the bug and looked at it with creepy adoration. "One bite from this spider--"

"And your body mirrors death." Spinelli finished for him, completely fascinated by the entire thing. Jason shot him a look, and Spinelli only shrugged back.

"So what?" Jason asked him. "You're going to...pretend to kill us?"

"A long time ago, before my brothers and I had even decided to make our way to Port Charles, a man sought us out. You see, this little spider here, the nukpana, is a very rare insect. When word got out, we had many offers. So when this man came along asking us for the nukpana, he really had to plead his case in order for us to even consider it." Manny laughed again and made his way back over to J.D., who was now sat up on the floor, still somewhat gasping for air. "But before I continue with my story, we should probably clear the air here a bit. My pet," he said, crouching down next to her, "why don't you tell our friends here who you really are."

J.D. turned to face manny, and taking in a deep breath, spat at his face. Without hesitation, he slapped her across the face. "Leave her alone!" Both Sam and Jason yelled at the same time.

"Tell them!" Manny yelled at her. "Tell them your name!" J.D. didn't say a word. "Tell them, or your friend Jason and the other guy will die right in front of your face. They are spare. I don't need them. I don't want them. I'll kill the spare."

"Lila." J.D. said, so quietly, no one could hear her.

"I'm sorry, pet, could you speak up?" Manny taunted her.

"Lila." She said louder, but still quietly.

Jason, Sam, and Spinelli's brows all frowned in curiosity. "Lila?" Spinelli repeated. "Are you a Quatermaine?" He asked, knowing the name was popular in that family. Jason and Sam both looked at J.D., waiting for an answer.

"No, she is not a Quartermaine, though I perhaps, this would be a good time to continue my story." Manny told them, a smirk still glued on his face. "A man came to us pleading his case about a man he wished to seek revenge on, and that immediately caught our attention. Which now doesn't surprise me at all, knowing how many people probably are out there who wish to seek revenge on Sonny Corinthos."

"Sonny?" Jason asked. "What does Sonny have to do with any of this?"

"Let me finish." Manny told him. "You see, Sonny Corinthos was about to have a child, and this man was offering us a lot of money to give him one of our spiders to use on the child once it was born." Manny smiled the most evil smile Jason had ever seen, and chills ran up his back.

_It couldn't be..._

Jason looked over at Sam, who's eyes were fixated on Manny. She looked frozen in spot, listening intently to what he had to say. "He just so happened to offer us the right amount of money, and we handed over the nukpana, and everything involving that situation was out of our hands." Jason looked down at J.D., who kept her eyes on the floor. Manny continued. "But the man died, and suddenly we were left with the possession of a baby girl."

"You're lying." Jason mumbled, putting pieces together. His head was spinning, and he looked from J.D. to Sam. Sam still frozen in spot as she listened to Manny.

_There was no way..._

"To the rest of this world, the little girl was dead. A trick played by this man using the nukpana, as he staged the perfect kidnapping." Manny continued.

"You're lying!" Jason yelled. "You son of a bitch!"

"And Sonny Corinthos' little baby girl was left with us." Manny let out a curt laugh, and Jason wanted to kill him right then and there. He looked over at Sam a third time, still no reaction coming from her.

"Who did this!" Jason yelled, interrupting the story. "Who was the man who bought the spider from you!"

"A.J. Quartermine." Spinelli suddenly said quietly, putting the pieces together himself. "Oh, God." Spinelli mumbled, looking over at J.D. and then over at Sam. "Oh my God." Jason turned to stare at him, his eyes wide with confusion.

Manny looked impressed. "Very good. You've done your research, I see." Manny laughed again. "We shuffled the kid around for a while. We didn't really know what to do with her. But then when we showed up in Port Charles, we realized we had the perfect bargaining chip for Sonny's territory...only things didn't go right. You, Jason, have no memory, Sonny's vulnerable, and we don't even need the kid to make a move  
on Corinthos."

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to fucking kill you and make sure you stay fucking dead this time!" Jason yelled, fierce emotions of anger and confusion soaring throughout him. Spinelli kept his eyes on Sam, who still didn't move from her spot.

"But that doesn't work. As you know, I get shot, was in a coma. Hence, my personal vendetta against you, Jason, and your pretty little girlfriend, miss Sam McCall. And suddenly, I had the perfect thing to use against you." Manny was enjoying every minute of telling his story, and Jason wanted to rip his tongue out and make him choke on it. "Now, I was in no rush to use the kid against you, because there is nothing you'd want more than that little girl back and I knew it."

Jason began to rattle the bars of the cell, wanting more than anything to burst out and kill Manny with his own hands. To make him pay for everything Jason can hardly grasp had been done. It was all too much. It was all impossible. And Manny needed to die for it. He needed to suffer for it. "But then Javier is killed, and I then wanted the perfect revenge against all three of you- you two and Sonny. And I taunted Sonny about Michael and Morgan causing him to flip out enough times to know exactly what his kids meant to him."

Sam heard every word Manny was saying, but she wasn't sure if she was processing any of it. Her knees were buckling, and she knew if she didn't try and stay strong, they would give out and she would fall to the floor any minute. She wanted to throw up, but she convinced herself there was no reason to. She convinced herself nothing Manny was saying was true. She convinced herself she wasn't hearing any of it. "It was the perfect plan, only I didn't plan on liking Sam so much, and it all became a new game." He turned to face Sam. "Everytime you left me unsatisfied, I came back here and took it out on my little Lila."

"You sick fuck! I'll personally see to it that you suffer! You're going to fucking suffer for this!" Jason yelled at him. He looked over at J.D., who kept her head down on the ground, but he could clearly see the tears that fell from her eyes. He turned to look over at Sam, who still showed no signs of emotion. "Sam..." He called out to her, but she didn't respond. "Sam..."

Manny opened the small container that held the spider and grabbed J.D. and pulled her up and close to him. He held the container close to her face. He looked over at Sam, and smiled. "Aren't you going to say hello to your baby girl, Sam?"


	21. Chapter 21

_oh wow sorry that took so long to update, but it's been busy, so don't expect them as frequently as i'm usually doing. i'm still gonna update regularly, just not as often as usual for a while. also, i apologize to kelli for all the spider talk! anyway, i hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"What's the matter, sweetness? Don't you want to say hello to your baby girl?" Manny was taunting Sam. He had a smirk on his face and a tight arm latched onto J.D.'s neck as he held the spider close to her face. Sam didn't move from her spot. Her eye's were locked with Manny's and she refused to look away.

Jason's mind was spinning with everything Manny had just confessed. If it were true, if everything Manny had just told them was completely true, then the baby girl he held in his arms, Sam's little girl that they mourned for over all these years, was alive. And had been living with them for months now without either of them knowing it. "Do you want me to demonstrate it all for you, sweetness?" Manny taunted, opening the glass container and holding it up to J.D.'s face.

"Squish that fucker, J.D.!" Jason yelled, rage filling his body. He needed to break out of the cell he and Spinelli were trapped in. He forced his entire body into the metal bars and the whole cell shook.

Manny laughed. "I wouldn't squish the spider if I were you." He tilted the container and the long blood red colored spider crawled out and made it's way onto J.D.'s cheek. She felt her body tremble as it's eight legs moved around her face, and she did her best to keep as still as possible. Anything to keep that spider from biting her.

Manny walked away from J.D., and motioned to a few of his men that were in the room with them to keep an eye on her, not that he thought she was going to go anywhere. She knew better than to move with that particular spider on her face. He made his way over to a box in the back of the room covered by a long cloth. "Mr. Spinelli, your name was?" Manny spoke, and Spinelli slowly nodded his head. "Pay close attention. If you were amused by the one spider, this is going to fascinate you."

They watched as Manny, in one swift movement, ripped the long cloth off of the box, revealing a glass case filled with hundreds of those long red spiders. Spinelli exclaimed in disgust, and Jason tilted his head to look over at Sam, knowing she had a fear of spiders. But Sam didn't move. She kept her eyes on Manny without wavering, and that worried Jason a bit. He wondered if she was in shock.

Making the mistake of curiosity, without thinking J.D. turned her head quickly to see what was revealed behind her. The moment she turned her head, she startled the spider that was now on her neck, and in a quick pricking moment, it bit her. She let out a yelp, getting the attention of the room. Jason immediately called out to her, realizing that she had gotten bit.

Manny glanced over at the young girl with a smile before focusing his attention back on his case of spiders. He didn't even give her the benefit of addressing the situation, he just moved on. "These spiders consider each other family. And they are very, very protective of each other. And while one of these bites could mirror death, well, I wouldn't want to think about what hundreds of bites could do."

Jason ignored Manny. He focused his attention on J.D. who immediately upon being bit began to look paler and paler. "Just hang in here, J.D. You can fight it." He tried to be supportive to get her to hold onto consciousness, but he knew it wasn't going to work. Whatever venom was in that spider's bite was working her fast.

She heard Jason's words, though her hearing became muffled around her. She wanted to fight, and she did everything in her power not to go down with the bite of the spider. But she felt her muscles tighten and her entire body grow weak. She felt as her breathing slowed and her pulse slowed even more. She didn't know or remember if she closed her eyes, but before long, everything went black.

"J.D.!" Jason called out to her as he watched her body slump to the ground. He forced his strength on the bars that imprisoned him and the entire cell shook again with his fury. "You son of a bitch!" He spat at Manny, who was looking smug as he made his way over to Sam's cell. "Stay away from her!" Jason yelled.

Sam hadn't spoken since Manny began his story. And she hadn't moved since either. "It's so good to see you again, sweetness, have I mentioned that?" Manny said standing right on the other side of the bars that kept her in her cell. She didn't move, and Jason didn't like how close Manny was to her.

"Get away from her!" Jason yelled, shaking the cage again with his strength. If only he could get out and wrap his hands tightly around Manny's neck... He would see to it that Manny would never breathe a single breath again.

Manny ignored Jason and stuck his hand through the metal bars to stroke Sam's cheek. This sent more fury through Jason's body, and though Sam didn't flinch away or react to Manny's touch, Jason could clearly see Sam's skin as she got goosebumps. "Don't touch her, you bastard!" Jason yelled, shaking the cage once again.

With a smirk, Manny backed away and walked over to J.D., who was lying still on the ground. He grinned and kicked his foot at her, making sure she was out. "Leave her alone!" Both Jason and Spinelli yelled. Jason felt completely useless. With both his girls completely out of it and him and Spinelli trapped behind bars, there was nothing he could do.

Manny turned to face Jason, their faces inches apart. "You just relax and sit tight. I'm going to head out of the room to take care of some things, but don't worry. I'll be back and then we can have more fun." Manny turned to face his men. "You all keep an eye on our guests." He smirked back at Jason before leaving the room.

Jason immediately began to force all of his strength at the metal bars, trying to find some way to break out. Spinelli joined them, but it seemed pointless. He turned to face Sam, who still hadn't moved. "Sam? Sam, come on, snap out of it." He called to her. He wished she was in the same cell as him and Spinelli. He just wanted to hold her. To tell her that everything was going to be okay, even though he had no proof that it would be. "Sam, look at me." He said, but she still didn't move.

He turned to look at the young girl now lying on the floor. If what Manny said was true, than J.D. was Sam's little girl. The little girl he was supposed to raise with her. The little girl they were both supposed to watch grow up, who was now already sixteen. Who was lying there, on the ground, a victim of Manny's abuse more times than Jason even wanted to think about.

And between thinking about their little girl on the ground and Sam standing in shock next to him, with the added mix of Manny, Jason found himself becoming more angry than he had been in a long, long time. Rage ran through his veins and he wrapped his hands tightly around the bars of the cage and shook it with all his might. Not knowing whether it was the sudden adrenaline or if he had finally wore the old cage down, the wall of the cage suddenly snapped and fell forward with a loud thud. He and Spinelli stared at it for a moment, surprised it actually fell loose.

Looking up, Jason realized they had to move fast when he saw that all of Manny's men were suddenly rushing towards them. "Go check on J.D.!" Jason ordered Spinelli, as he began to fight off the men that tried to restrain him. All of them too focused on Jason, Spinelli was able to make his way over to J.D. and bent down next to her to see if she was alright.

As Jason struggled against the small mob of Manny's men, Spinelli put his hand on the back of J.D.'s neck so he could lift her head. It was then that he saw the spider as it tried to move from her neck to his hand, and he freaked out and flicked it to the ground. He jumped back a bit, and watched it for a second as it crawled around on the ground. "You shall do no more damage here, you vile arachnid!" He exclaimed, and lifted his foot to stomp on it.

Jason watched confused as all of Manny's men suddenly fell off of him and turned to focus on Spinelli. A few of them even screamed out to Spinelli to stop, but it was too late. The moment they all heard the small crunch of Spinelli's shoe coming in contact with the spider, squashing it and killing it, Manny's men all began to flee the room in a panic. Jason and Spinelli watched as they ran away, both completely confused. Jason looked over at Spinelli with his eyebrow raised. "What the hell did you just do?"

Before Spinelli could answer, they heard what sounded like a hail storm hitting a window. "That...doesn't sound good." Spinelli said, and both he and Jason turned around to face the glass container that contained hundreds of Manny's spiders -- all of which were jumping and pressing against the side of the glass cage in a chaotic fury.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Jason yelled, running over to J.D.'s practically lifeless body, scooping her into his arms and picking her up. He froze for a moment at the memory of holding her lifeless infant body. The sound of glass breaking broke him out of his trance, and he turned to see the spiders had forced the glass cage to fall on it's side, hundreds of the red insects crawling quickly towards them.

Jason turned to make a run for it, but turned in fear to face Sam, still frozen in spot, locked in her cell. He handed J.D. over to Spinelli who took her in his arms. "Take J.D. and get out of here! Keep an eye out for Manny and his men, and just run!" He said, and pushed Spinelli towards the door, who took off running without question.

Jason watched as the spiders began to surround the squashed body of the spider Spinelli crushed, and he quickly ran around them to Sam. "Sam, I need to get you out of here. I need you to help me figure out how to get you out of here!" He said to her, but it was as if she didn't hear him at all. She wasn't there, her mind was elsewhere. He was on his own. "Shit!"

He looked over at the spiders, who he could tell were realizing the demise of their spider friend, and he remembered Manny's words. They were protective of each other. He never knew that a spider could seek revenge or have feelings of the such, but just looking at the hundred of insects that stood before him, he knew their tiny eyes were glaring with the promise of vengeance.

He watched as the hundreds of spiders turned to face in his and Sam's direction, and he knew he had to get her out of their fast. He didn't want to find out what would happen if they got bit by the hundreds of them. He began to yank on the bars that kept Sam captive, but he knew it was a futile attempt. He was able to break down a cell wall once, there was no way he would have that kind of adrenaline rush a second time that night. "Shit, Sam, I need you to help me figure this out!"

His hands stumbled with the lock that was on her cell. He doubt there would be a key anywhere in sight for him to use to unlock it. That was too simple, and Manny was far from simple. The spiders proved that. He turned around to look around the room for something, anything, he could use to break open the lock and fast. The spiders were angry.

He had to keep them off of him and keep them away from Sam. So he did the only thing he could think to do. He began to stomp on them all.

He knew he probably looked ridiculous, and he knew that it would take him forever to squish all of them, but it would buy him some time to keep looking around for a solution as well as keep the spiders away from Sam. But the more he squashed, the more they got angry, and the more they continued to swarm him. He needed to break Sam out and get out of there now, before it was too late. "Way to be completely useless, Sam!" He snapped, hoping to break her out of her trance for a second just so she could help him.

It was then that he noticed the glass container that held the spiders had been placed on a large stone. It seemed heavy, but he knew at the same time he would be able to lift it. He wondered if it would be strong enough to break the lock. "Sam, I need you to back up!" He called to her, but she still didn't move. "Please Sam, just back up so I don't hurt you!"

Sam didn't move, and Jason knew he couldn't waste time trying to get her to, so in a quick movement, he pushed his hand through the bars of the cell and pushed her as hard as he could, sending her flying back. He felt bad, he never thought he'd push her in his life, but he needed her out of his way so he could save her life.

He moved quickly, he didn't have anymore time to spare. He jumped off of the spider pit and ran over to the stone, using all of his strength to pick it up, and without hesitation, he threw it at the lock on Sam's cell. It hit hard, and he held his breath, knowing that if it didn't work, they were both doomed.

The boulder fell with a thump, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it worked, the lock was broken and fell to the floor. He ran, stomping on spiders and moving quickly, batting them away as they jumped at him, and grabbed Sam off of the ground, hoisting her up and holding her protectively as he made a run for it, leaving the spiders behind.

Spinelli held J.D. tight as he stood behind a corner, totally terrified of getting caught by either Manny, his men, or the angry spiders. He peeked around the corner, and slowly tiptoed James Bond style around the wall to another corner. He peeked around another corner, but before he could move, he felt someone coming up behind him. He turned around quickly. "If I were you I would beware The Jackal's fighting skills, Evil Doer!" He yelled, before relaxing at the sight of Jason carrying Sam behind him.

"Be quiet and keep moving!" Jason scolded him in a harsh whisper, and they quickly made their way out of the building they were trapped in the basement of, leaving Manny and his spiders behind them.

Jason and Spinelli immediately made their way to General Hospital. "We need help!" Jason yelled as they made their way in, nurses and doctors swarming the young girl in Spinelli's hands and approaching Sam in his.

"What happened?" Monica asked, walking over to her son.

"Long story, I think she's in shock. And J.D. was bit by a poisonous spider. They both need help." Jason spoke sternly, trying not to seem as frantic as he really was.

A doctor came over to take Sam, but she suddenly jerked in Jason's arms. "Don't touch me!" She yelled at the doctor, and Jason, Monica, and Spinelli, who had already handed J.D. over to be brought to an E.R., stared at her in surprise. "Jason, put me down!"

"Sam, you are in shock, you need to be checked out by a doctor." Jason tried to explain to her, knowing that even though she had finally snapped out of her trance, he wanted her checked out to make sure she was completely okay.

"Where is she Jason?" Sam asked him sternly.

"Sam, why don't you just calm down and come into a room so we can check you out." Monica spoke softly to her, trying to convince her to do what they all knew she needed to.

Sam ignored Monica completely. "Jason! Where is she!" She practically yelled, causing the nurses and doctors who were in the area to turn to look at the now frantic woman.

"Who, Sam? J.D.? She's in an E.R. room right now, so why don't you get checked out, too, okay?" Jason tried to convince her.

"You go grab that little con artist and demand a DNA test, right now!" She yelled, and Jason and Spinelli both looked at her in shock. Monica looked over at Jason, confused as to what was going on. "You get that little friend of Manny's so we can put his little game to an end right away!"

Jason stared at Sam. "Sam...you think that...J.D. couldn't..." He couldn't even form a sentence.

"Manny thinks he can find some girl and convince us she's my daughter? I will not let him win this game of his, Jason. I want a DNA test, now!" She was near hysterics, and Jason nodded to Monica to call a doctor to get Sam sedated so they could put her in a bed and check her out. "Call Sonny, do whatever you have to so we can prove 100% that she's nothing but a dirty con, just like you said from the beginning!"

Two nurses came over to hold Sam, who struggled against them as Monica stood around trying to speak softly to Sam to get her to calm down. Jason watched helplessly as Sam continued to demand a DNA test as a doctor came over with a needle and stuck her in the arm with it. She slowly began to calm down. "Please, Jason. Call Sonny. I won't let Manny do this to us." She said sleepily before everything around her faded black.


	22. Chapter 22

_here's another update for you guys, i'm gonna try to work on them faster, but this is the quickest i can update right now. so just thanks for being patient with me. enjoy.  
_

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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sam's eyelids fluttered for a moment before they allowed her to wake. Confusion immediately set in, not remembering where she was, but looking around at the white walls, it didn't take much time for her to recognize the hospital room. She had been in the hospital enough times to know those walls better than her own walls.

It didn't take long before the tears started pouring from her eyes.

She could barely comprehend the events that led her into the hospital room this time, and she didn't want to. She wondered if this is what denial felt like, and she closed her eyes and rolled over, hugging her legs in close to her body as she cried. She tried to convince herself it was all a dream. Maybe it was just a brain tumor like her cousin Nikolas'. His brain tumor caused him to see Emily. Maybe she had a brain tumor that was causing her to imagine things.

She would gladly take a brain tumor over Manny being back.

"Sam?" She heard a voice call out to her, but she closed her eyes tight, held her knees closer to her chest, and tried to block out everything around her, hoping she would wake up at any minute in her own bed, this only a nightmare. "Oh, Sam."

Jason was by her side in an instant, kneeling down beside her bed, running his hand through her hair as she cried. She slowly opened her eyes to look into his, and she knew it wasn't a dream. It wasn't a brain tumor. Jason's eyes never lied, and she could see the emotions swirling in his blue irises. "Lie to me." She croaked out in between her sobs.

"What?" Jason asked, wondering if she misspoke and meant to say 'lie with me'.

"Lie to me, Jason." She repeated, and he looked at her, waiting for some kind of explanation. "Tell me I have a brain tumor. Or that this is a dream. Just tell me Manny isn't back. Tell me he's dead. Just please, Jason, lie to me."

She begged him, and the desperation in her voice tugged at his heart. She didn't mention J.D. once, and he wondered if she was avoiding it, or if she had shut that part out completely. "Get some sleep, Sam. You could use more rest." He told her. He wanted to say everything she told him to, but he couldn't bring himself to lie. "Everything will be okay, Sam. I promise. Get some rest."

She closed her eyes, a few tears still managing to escape. "It can't be true." She whispered as sleep began to take over once again. "It just can't be."

Jason waited until he was sure Sam was back asleep before leaving her hospital room. He could relate to how Sam was feeling, he was confused, hurt, and a million emotions of anger and desperation were flowing through him. But he knew he had to push his feelings aside and be the rational one. He had to act, and he had to be strong. He knew Sam's life, and possibly J.D.'s, depended on it.

He closed Sam's hospital room door as he made his way out of it. He spotted Monica, and called over to her. "Monica!" She stopped walking, and he made his way over. "How's J.D. doing? She awake yet?"

"No, not yet, Jason. But she seems fine, her heart rate is back to normal, and I expect she'll wake up at any minute." Monica assured him. She placed her hand on his arm in a comforting way, before beginning to walk away.

Jason stopped her. "Wait, Monica. I need you to do a thorough check up on her. Make sure she's healthy."

"Jason, I assure you she'll wake up and be fine. A little sore for a bit probably, but fine nonetheless. The venom from the spider bite is basically just at temporary paralyzer, I thought J.D.'s doctor explained that to you?" Monica told him.

"Yeah, no this isn't about that. I need you to give her a thorough check up." Jason said. If J.D. was really Sam's daughter, if she really had been living with Manny for all those years, he wanted to make sure she was healthy, and if she wasn't, he would make sure that he would do everything he had to so she would be.

Monica watched him closely for a second. "What aren't you telling me?"

Jason sighed. "It's a long story, and when I find out if it's one hundred percent true, I'll fill you in. But right now I just need to make sure she is healthy. That goes for Sam, too. Make sure my girls get the best care."

Monica smiled at him. "Of course, Jason."

"Stone Cold!" The sound of Spinelli's voice was Monica's cue to leave, so she smiled at Jason as she waked away to attend to her other duties and patients. "Stone Cold, has Fair Samantha or the Formerly Deceased Lila McCall awake yet?"

Jason glared at Spinelli. "Don't talk about her like that."

Spinelli nodded in understanding. "This is bad, isn't it? This Evil Doer, Manny...this is really bad."

Jason nodded his head. "I sent some men over to the place he held us captive, but Manny's not an idiot. They didn't find anything except a bunch of dead spiders. Yes, it's bad."

"I called up Maximista, she should be on her way over here this very moment. As for the Formerly Deceased One--" Jason glared at Spinelli a second time, "sorry, as for the Young Thief, have you called up Mr. Sir yet?"

"No, I...if this is true I know Sonny needs to know...but right now I need to focus on Sam and J.D., and I can't have Sonny in the way. Not yet." Jason told Spinelli, who understood completely what Jason was saying. "When J.D. wakes up I'm going to talk to her, I'm going to try and get Sam to accept this as a possibility because right now I'm pretty sure she's in denial, and then I'll call Sonny."

They both paused for a moment to take everything in. "Do you think it's all true, Stone Cold?" Spinelli asked him. "Do you think that J.D. is really Fair Samantha and Mr. Sir's late daughter?"

Jason took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He had felt some sort of draw, some sort of connection to J.D. the moment he first saw her when Spinelli and Maxie brought her to the Penthouse. Sam had spoken numerous times about the connection she, herself, felt. Is it possible, deep down, they knew the truth all along? "We'll know for sure soon enough." Jason answered.

"The Jackal has a confession to make, Stone Cold." Spinelli said after a moment. Jason looked over at him. "The other night, right before the Evil Doers came and attacked us all, I was doing some research on the Young Thief, and I came across the death records of little miss Lila McCall, Sam's deceased daughter, and curiosity got the better of me, as it usually does--"

"Can you get to the point quicker, Spinelli?" Jason usually had patience when it came to his fast talking friend, but his patience was wearing thin.

Spinelli took a breath, knowing he had to get to his point. "Well, it turned out that the certificate of death wasn't on file, which the Jackal thought was weird, so I spent numerous and painstaking hours trying to track them down. And when I did, I traced them straight to--"

"A.J." Jason answered for him. "That's how you knew what Manny was talking about." Spinelli nodded his head in response, and Jason ran a shaky hand through his hair. There were too many signs and too many pieces falling into place for this to be a lie.

"Jason?" Jason turned around at the sound of the voice coming from behind him. Elizabeth made her way over, looking at him curiously. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"Sam and J.D. are here. They'll be okay. It's just...complicated." It was the best way Jason could figure out how to explain it without going into detail to Elizabeth. "What are you still doing here? Are you on shift? Is Jake still here, is he okay?"

Elizabeth shifted nervously. "Jake's fine. We just, uh, had some tests to run."

"What do you mean some tests? What kind of tests?" Jason asked, concerned for his son.

"Just some tests, Jason, he's fine." Elizabeth snapped at him. "You go worry about the young girl who's in a hospital bed, my guess because of associating herself with you."

Jason was about to snap back at her, her comment not really fair. He couldn't deny it so much, but at the same time, their son was in a hospital bed and he had absolutely nothing to do with it. He was about to open his mouth to call her a hypocritical bitch, when Monica appeared from around the corner. "Jason?"

Jason turned to face her, forgetting about Elizabeth for the moment. "Yeah? Is everything alright? Sam and J.D. okay?"

"Yes, I just thought you'd want to know that J.D. is awake. You want to go see her before we start the thorough examination?" Monica asked him. Jason nodded his head, and Monica lead him to her hospital room.

He walked in, and found J.D. sitting indian style on top of the bed. "You know, you're supposed to be lying down and under the covers." He took note of the converse sneakers that were on her feet. "And I don't think you're supposed to have your shoes on either." He attempted to joke, his lame attempt to break some of the tension that was there.

J.D. didn't look up at him. She stared down at her hands and fiddled with her fingers. He knew now. He knew where she came from, where she had been all this time, and who she was. And the little happy family she had managed to be pulled into being a part of the past couple of months was going to unravel because of it. She knew it wouldn't last forever.

Jason took a deep breath and walked over to the chair next to her bed and took a seat. He sat there in silence for a few moments trying to think of what to say next. He wasn't one to beat around the bush. "Did you know all along?" He asked her.

She closed her eyes and slowly nodded her head in response. "Don't give me that." Jason told her. "You can talk, we heard you talk, and you need to help me out here and start explaining things."

"I knew." She told him, in practically a whisper.

"It wasn't a coincidence when Maxie and Spinelli found you, was it?"

"No."

"And when you ran away, it wasn't a coincidence that you ended up at Sonny's, either, was it?"

"No."

Jason took another moment to take a deep breath. This was hard to comprehend. It was hard to believe. It was hitting him hard emotionally. But he knew he had to stay strong and rational. Especially because he knew once word got out, he would be the only one to stay strong and rational. His head was starting to hurt, so he brought a hand up to his temple.

This was Sam's little girl. The little girl they were supposed to raise together. Who would have considered him a father. He wanted to just be happy. He wanted Sam to just be happy, and to come and start a life with her daughter. But he knew it wasn't that simple. And there was a lot to be said and a lot that was going to have to be dealt with. He just didn't even know where to begin.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jason resorted to asking. "I mean, maybe we wouldn't have believed you, but you stayed with us long enough to know that Sam's a damn good P.I. and that I have my resources and we could have proven it. So why didn't you tell us? You sought Sam and Sonny out, and you found them. So why not tell them?"

J.D. looked to face the other way. "You weren't going to, were you?" Jason asked. "You were never going to tell them?"

"No." She answered slowly.

Jason tried his best to stay calm. "But why? Don't you think that Sam deserved to know? You got to know her, you saw how big her heart is. And what about you? Don't you want your family? A home? Don't you want to get back everything Manny took away from you?"

"It's too late." J.D. answered. "We'll never get that back." Jason wondered if she was right.

There was a knock at the door, and Jason and J.D. turned to see Monica enter the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm just going to run through some tests and examine J.D. like you asked, now, Jason." She said with a soft smile. Jason nodded his head, turned to face J.D. with a weak smile, and got up to leave the room.

He decided he wanted to check back up on Sam, and when he opened the door to her hospital room, he saw her sitting upright lost in thought, much like J.D. was when he walked into her room. "Sam, you okay?" He asked her, even though he knew it was a stupid question.

"How is she?" Sam asked him.

He didn't have to ask who she was talking about. "She's okay. Monica is giving her a thorough check up right now to make sure, but she's okay."

Sam closed her eyes as she let out a sob, and Jason was by her side immediately. She kept her eyes closed tight and took a deep breath as she composed herself, her eyes opening as she looked at Jason with an empty look. "She's not a con, is she?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know she's not, Sam."

Sam shook her head, her eyes narrowing. "She has to be, Jason. My little girl is dead. She's dead, she died and we grieved and there's no way that sixteen years later she's back. It's just not possible."

"Sam..." Jason didn't know what to say. He could literally see the emotions running through Sam, and he wanted to help her, he just didn't know how.

"I want a DNA test now, Jason." She said suddenly. "I want you to get Sonny down here, and I want to know for sure right now if that's my baby."

"Sam, I don't think that's a good idea right now. You know how Sonny is, and we should really take time to adjust a bit before we bring him into this--"

"No, Jason." She said sternly looking at him with determination in her eyes. "I want to do this now. Right now." He was about to open his mouth to protest a second time, but she cut him off. "Jason, please." She begged him, desperation a strong sound in her voice.

He slowly nodded his head, surrendering to her. "Okay."


	23. Chapter 23

_ugh okay. so again, sorry about the delay. but i just got a new laptop so i wont be sharing the family computer anymore and i'll be able to update like a beast! haha, hope you enjoy, again, sorry about the wait.  
_

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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sonny stared at Alexis intently as she spoke, he didn't move or waver the entire time she told him what had happened the night before to their daughter. Alexis herself wasn't sure that she even wanted to include Sonny in this, she knew she was perfectly capable of handling Kristina and that Kristina was fine considering what almost happened. But if Alexis was honest with herself, she knew that there was more to this than just Kristina being a teenager and going to a party. She was acting out, she had been for a while, and all for attention.

Alexis finished the story and Sonny just stood there, taking it all in for a moment. "What's this kid's name?" He asked, keeping his stern face and posture.

"Sonny, he's only seventeen and they dealt with him down at the station. I don't need you hiring someone to take him out." Alexis said, warning Sonny.

"I'm not gonna take the kid out, I'm just going to let him know that if he messes with my daughter again, there will be consequences." He said. Alexis shot him a look, but she didn't bother arguing with him. She knew it was pointless. "Get Kristina in here. I want to talk to her."

Alexis had called Sonny that morning and told him he needed to make time to stop by so they could talk about Kristina. She had Kristina wait upstairs, wanting to explain the party to Sonny without her sitting there. "Sonny, I think we should talk about this before we bring Kristina down here."

"What's to talk about? Kristina got caught up in a party, got in over her head, but she's okay, and that's all that matters." Sonny said, not understanding what Alexis was worrying so much about.

Alexis shook her head at Sonny. "You aren't seeing what's wrong here, Sonny. Kristina has been acting out like this for a while now. She's been lucky enough to get herself out of sticky situations until now, but this needs to stop. She's acting out for attention, Sonny."

"Well she needs to know she can't just go wild for attention." Sonny said. "Maybe you should just keep a better eye out on her."

"Maybe you should call her once in a while." Alexis fired back.

"Maybe you shouldn't have decided my life was too dangerous to involve my daughter in."

"I never said you had to cut her out completely."

"You hardly ever let me spend time with her, even from when she was a little girl. Don't blame this on me."

"I did what I had to in order to keep my daughter safe. But I never said you had to act like she didn't exist!"

Kristina sat at the top of the stairs listening to her mom and dad bicker back and forth. Figures they would both place the blame on each other and continue to ignore her. Would this change anything? She didn't think so. Her mom would keep a close watch on her for a few weeks, her dad would call to talk to her for even less. And then everything would just fade back into normal, and she would find a way to make it start all over again.

This time was different though, and it made her second guess everything. Playing the victim with her parents was something she perfected. It worked, too. She got the attention she wanted from it. But this time she was actually the victim. And she was scared. And she couldn't think about it without wanting to cry. If Cam hadn't gotten there when he did...she didn't want to think about it.

A phone began to ring, throwing Kristina from her thoughts and getting both Alexis and Sonny to stop arguing. It took Sonny a second to realize it was his cell phone that was ringing, and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Sonny, it's Jason. I need you to come to General Hospital." Jason's voice left no room for debate, but Sonny was curious as to what could be going on.

"Is everything okay? Is it Jake? I'm at Alexis' now, she just explained everything to me. Don't worry, I plan on having a conversation with that boy who tried to hurt Kristina and hurt Jake." Sonny told him, assuming that must be the point of the call.

"Sonny, it's not that it's...I need you to come here as soon as you can."

Sonny didn't like not being in the know. "Jason, what's going on?"

"Not over the phone, Sonny. Just meet me in the ER waiting room."

Jason hung up the phone, and Sonny stared at his cell for a moment. He turned to face Alexis. "I need to go over to General Hospital. Jason needs me. We'll continue this conversation later."

"Sonny, what about Kristina?" Alexis asked him.

Sonny made his way over to the door. "We'll deal with this later." He said, and made his way out the door. Kristina left her spot from the top of the stairs and made her way into her room, lying down on her bed. Once again, Sonny chose Jason over her.

Jason hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh. Spinelli made his way over with a worried expression on his face. "Stone Cold, the Jackal didn't mean to eavesdrop on your private telephone conversation, but suffice it to say, do you really think it's a good idea to bring Mr. Sir to General Hospital right now? Fair Samantha is still processing the return of the Epitome of Evil Doers as well as the resurrection of her baby girl, and--"

"No, I don't think it's a good idea." Jason said, interrupting Spinelli's rambling. "But it's what Sam wants. You should have seen her, Spinelli. She's completely lost right now. She doesn't know what to think. It's a lot to take in, believe me I know that, but she's just...she needs time to like you said process this and right now I'll do anything she wants to help her get to that point."

"But calling Mr. Sir? The Jackal means no disrespect, but Mr. Sir's presence is...overwhelming at times to say the least." Spinelli said, and Jason couldn't quite argue with that. "Perhaps it would be all the better to give Sam her DNA test without getting Mr. Sir involved. He really isn't necessary to determine the parentage of the Young Thief."

Jason sighed. "I know. But Sam needs this. She needs to know for a fact that J.D. is her and Sonny's baby girl." Before Spinelli could continue to argue the point, they were interrupted by the sound of Maxie making her way into the hospital.

"Spinelli! Jason! Oh my God, thank God you two are okay. Where's Sam? Is she okay? Is J.D. okay? What happened?" Maxie was firing off questions left and right, Spinelli giving her about as much information on the phone as Jason gave to Sonny.

"Maximista, both the Young Thief and Fair Samantha will be fine." Spinelli opened with, hoping to calm the blonde down. Spinelli looked over at Jason, and could tell that Jason didn't want to hear, let alone tell, the whole story again. "Why don't we go over and sit down so the Jackal can tell you all that has happened?" He said, and lead Maxie away from Jason and over to the couch. Jason stood his ground, and brought a hand up over his face.

"Jason, are you okay?" Jason looked up to see Monica standing in front of him. Was he okay? He didn't really have time to think about that. He had to take care of Sam. And J.D. He would worry about himself later. He nodded his head in response and Monica smiled softly at him, bringing her hand to touch his arm. "I'm going to go give J.D. a thorough check up now. Just go have a seat and try to relax." He gave Monica a weak smile back, but held his ground as she turned to head into J.D.'s hospital room.

J.D. wasn't stupid. While she lacked the knowledge most children learned from books in school, she had more street smarts and survival skills than any one of those kids who passed math or aced science would. She knew that the game changed. Manny had found her, and he had told Sam and Jason everything. And now that they knew who she was, and now that they knew Manny was a threat, she knew the tables were now turned. And that everything was about to blow up. And she didn't want to be around for it.

She made her way out of the hospital bed and over to the small window in her room. It was shut, and she pushed up on it to try and get it to open, but it was shut pretty tight. It creaked open a bit, allowing her to stick her hands underneath to have a better grip to push it up. It budged maybe another inch when she heard her hospital room door open. "Freeze." She did. She turned around to come face to face with Monica.

"Get back into that bed." She commanded with a soft voice. J.D. didn't move. "I don't know what's with you people and hospitals. If you hate them so much, don't constantly put yourself in the position to end up in one." Monica joked, but J.D. didn't laugh. "Go on, back into bed." She ordered a second time.

J.D. slowly made her way back over to the bed and sat down on it. Monica made her way over to the young girl. "I'm just going to check out a few routine things to make sure you're healthy, okay? So just relax and we'll get this over with quickly so we can see about you leaving here, and preferably not out through the window." She said as she took J.D.'s pulse.

"Don't tell Jason?" J.D. asked in a small voice that startled Monica.

"I guess you're talking now." She said in surprise. "And I won't tell Jason so long as you promise me you aren't going to run out that window." J.D. looked down at her hands. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but I know that you are safe with Jason. So whatever you are trying to run from, I wouldn't worry. My son will take care of you." Monica smiled at J.D., who did her best to give a weak smile back. Monica took out a small light and held it up to J.D.'s eyes. "Follow the light with your eyes for me."

J.D. did as she was told. "You a doctor for a long time?"

Monica laughed as she pulled out her stethoscope to listen to J.D.'s heart beat. "Yes. A long time now. Turn around." She said as she brought the stethoscope up J.D.'s shirt to have a listen. "Breathe in and out deep breaths for me."

J.D. breathed for Monica and when she finished with the stethoscope, J.D. spoke again. "You Sam's doctor ever?"

"Sam's been in this hospital so many times, I think everyone has had a chance to be her doctor." Monica joked. "I'm just gonna stick this in your ear to check your temperature, okay?" J.D. nodded her head.

"What about when Sam had a baby. Were you her doctor then?" J.D. slowly asked.

Monica paused. "Uh, no. Certain doctors deal with certain things." She paused again, lost in thought for a moment. "But I remember it, if that's what you are asking. Why?" She asked, curious as to why this girl was bringing up such a horrible memory she wasn't even around for.

"Did you see her?" J.D. asked her.

Monica looked at her confused. "Sam?" J.D. shook her head. "The baby?" J.D. nodded. Monica didn't really know where these questions were coming from. It was an odd question to ask. "No, I didn't." She was going to leave it at that so they could attempt to move off of the subject, but she found herself continuing. "Jason did though. He held her. I think it was close to being one of the hardest things he's ever had to do, but he loved that little baby." Monica took in a deep breath. "But enough of this, sit up straight for me so I can check your reflexes."

Jason paced back and forth in the waiting room. After Spinelli had explained the entire situation to Maxie, she had wanted to see both J.D. and Sam, but Jason talked her out of it. He didn't think it was a good idea to expose them to Maxie's ramblings quite yet, and Maxie had surprisingly understood. Needing to process it and wanting to give Sam and Jason their space, she and Spinelli had decided to go back to the Penthouse, where Jason had already called in extra guards and security. With Manny out there and Spinelli having been with them during the whole thing, Jason wanted to make sure that he was safe, too.

Though he didn't really know how safe any of them were. All he knew was that Manny had to pay, and Manny would pay. For everything.

"Cam, you're going to get in trouble." The sound of his son's voice snapped him from his thoughts. He looked over to see Jake and Cam each in wheelchairs, Cam attempting to pop-a-wheelie. "You aren't even supposed to be in a wheelchair."

"And let you have all the fun?" Cam responded to his younger brother. "Come on, I'll race you."

Jason rolled his eyes and made his way over to the boys. "I don't think Jake should be racing anything right now. He needs to rest up so he can recover." Jason said, glaring at Cam.

"Didn't know you were even here, Mr. Morgan, though I should have sensed the smell of buzz kill in the air." Cam sarcastically replied.

Jason ignored him and turned to face Jake. "How you feeling?"

"Better. Mom's actually signing me out right now. I get to go home." Jake smiled. "I'll be sore for a while, but they said I should be able to play baseball again in a week."

"Well that's good. I'm glad you weren't that hurt."

"Yeah, me too."

"Yeah."

Cam looked back and forth from Jason to Jake. "Okay...well since the two of you have the slowest conversations known to man, I'm going to wheel myself around and see if there are any women in this hospital who could use a bed massage." He said, as he wheeled himself in the wheelchair he had commandeered away from the other two.

"So..." Jason didn't know quite what to say next. "I guess you like baseball a lot?"

Jake nodded his head. "Yeah."

"You any good?"

Jake hesitated. "No. Not really."

"Oh." Jason responded, not sure of what to respond with. "Then why do you play it?"

"I don't know. It's fun, I guess." Jake responded. "Maybe you could come to a game? Sometimes I'm not so bad."

Jason sighed. "Jake, we talked about this..."

"Yeah. I know." Jake interjected. "I just thought since...nevermind."

"You can say anything to me, Jake." Jason told him, wanting to know what he was about to say.

Jake took a deep breath. "I've been thinking. Mom and you both say it's too dangerous for us to hang out together. But you've been keeping J.D. safe--"

"J.D. is in the hospital right now, Jake." Jason countered.

"And so am I." Jake reasoned back. "And it's just...I don't know. If I'm going to get hurt anyway, I'd like to at least have the chance to get hurt with you." Jake paused for a moment. "That didn't really come out right, what I mean is--"

"I understand, Jake." Jason interrupted him to say. "I do. But there is a big difference between what happened to you the other night and what happened to Michael Corinthos." Jason ran his hand through his hair. "This is really a conversation you should be having with your mom."

"If you and Sam had a baby back when you were dating would you have ditched that child, too?" Jake suddenly snapped, and immediately regretted doing so, his eyes growing wide and his cheeks reddening at his own words. "I'm sorry, I...nevermind. I should go find my mom to see if we're ready to go home."

Jason stared at his son in shock for a moment. "Jake, wait." Jake stopped wheeling his wheelchair, but couldn't make eye contact with Jason. "How'd you even know Sam and I wanted to have a baby back then?"

"I don't know if I remember things or if it's just what Cam has told me over the years. But I know that you and Sam dated before I was born. And that because of me you stopped. And..." Jake decided he didn't want to say anything more, so he let his sentence drift away. He knew everything. He knew what had happened before he was conceived, he knew what was going on during, and he knew all of the events that took place after. He knew his existence played a huge part in ruining Jason and Sam's relationship, and he sometimes wondered if Sam's existence, or her actions after Jake was born, played a part in ruining his own relationship with Jason. "Would it have been different if it were Sam's baby you were the father of?"

And Jason didn't know how to answer that. "I love you, Jake. I do. And what happened in the past has nothing to do with you, okay? Nothing that happened back then was because of you, so don't say that, okay?"

"Jake?" Elizabeth made her way around the corner and over to her son. "You're all checked out, you ready to go home?" Jake kept his head faced towards the ground, and Elizabeth looked over at Jason. "Jason, what're you doing here?"

"Uh, J.D. and Sam are both here. It's a long story that I really can't explain right now." He told her with a sigh.

She nodded. "They okay?"

"Yeah. They'll be okay."

She paused for a moment. "We need to talk, Jason. But right now I need to get Jake home so he can rest. But...we need to talk." Jason raised an eyebrow at her, curious as to what they would need to talk about. He already kept his distance as much as he could from Jake, what more did she want? A restraining order? It wouldn't surprise him in the least. Elizabeth looked around the room. "Jake, where'd your brother go?"

"He wheeled himself out of the room. I don't know where he went." Jake answered, and Elizabeth let out a loud sigh.

"He's playing in a wheelchair? Oh God, that boy drives me crazy. Well, let's go find him." She said as she began pushing her youngest son's wheelchair to go find him. "Bye, Jason." She said with a small wave.

"Bye." He responded, his eyes meeting with his son's as they left.

Cam laughed as he got kicked out of the third hospital room he had tried to pick up a girl in. This one had actually thrown her jello cup at him before getting him to get out of her room. He continued to play with the wheelchair as he sped down the halls. When a woman suddenly popped out around the corner, he let out a yell as he ran right into her, knocking her to the ground. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry." he said, climbing out of the wheelchair and helping the woman up. "Sam?" He said when he recognized her.

She looked pale. And she was shaking. She looked nothing like the strong beautiful woman Cam was used to seeing. "Oh man, are you alright?" He asked her.

"I need to find...have you seen...she's...she's...she can't be, you know?" Sam was rambling, and Cam hadn't a clue as to what she was talking about. "I mean...it was years ago, you know? And...God, it all seems so crazy."

Cam just stared at her. "Please don't tell me you've lost your mind, because I have no idea how to handle that." He said to her, and she turned and stared back at him for a moment. He pulled over the wheelchair he had been playing in. "Why don't you like...sit down or something?" He asked her.

"You've seen her. You're her friend." Sam said, and Cam had no idea what she was talking about. "God, how could I not know...how could I go on just thinking she was dead. Shouldn't I have felt something? Shouldn't I have known she was alive? Oh, God, it can't be her..."

"Please just sit down." Cam said, looking around nervously for some sort of nurse or doctor to come let him off the hook here. "I really have no idea how to handle crazy women, Sam, so can you please sit down."

"Can you help me find her? I need to see her. I just need to look at her."

"Okay, sure, whatever. I'll take you to see whoever you want, just please sit down." Cam said, humoring her.

Sam brought a hand to her face as the tears began to fall from her eyes. Cam watched in horror as she began to cry. "She's alive." Sam whispered through the tears, finally breaking free from the shock and denial she had initially felt. "My baby girl is alive."


	24. Chapter 24

_i hate not being able to update regularly. but i try my hardest to get an update at least once a week for you guys. its just really really busy lately. i hope you enjoy! _

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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"My baby girl is alive." Sam repeated, and Cam just stared at her.

"You...had a baby?" He asked, trying to pick up on the context clues of Sam's rambling. He hadn't a clue what had caused her to wig out this badly, and he really just wanted a doctor or nurse or anyone to come by and relieve him from this. "Well, hell, I didn't even know you were pregnant, you hid that pretty well." He mentally slapped himself after he realized that making jokes right now was kind of inappropriate.

Sam shook her head, and he reached out his hand to take hers. Surprised that she actually took it, he led her over to the wheel chair and got her to sit down. "I'm going to wheel you to like a doctor or something, okay? Just...don't like jump out of the chair or anything while we're moving. Keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle."

"No." She said, and Cam stared at her. All he wanted to do was bring her to someone so he wouldn't have to deal with this, couldn't she at least give him that? "Take me to see her."

"To see who, Sam? You need to talk in full complete sentences here. Help me out a little bit."

"Lila. J.D. Whatever we're supposed to call her now, just take me to her. Please."

Cam couldn't say no to the desperation in her voice. "Janie's in the hospital? Do you know what room she's in?" Sam shook her head and Cam was almost certain that he needed to hand Sam over to someone who could actually help. He hardly knew Sam, and God knew he wasn't the best at handling serious situations like the one he seemed to have stumbled onto.

"She's somewhere here. Just, please. Take me to her." Cam didn't know how to say no to her. She just looked so desperate.

Cam let out a deep sigh. "Okay, okay. I practically grew up in this hospital, mom being here all the time. I'll work my charm and find out what room Janie is in, okay?" He began to wheel Sam towards the nurses station, coming up with a cover story as he did.

After almost punching Epiphany in her smug face, Cam finally managed to convince her to tell them what room J.D. Jones was in, after Sam had muttered that J.D. was her daughter. Both Cam and Epiphany had frozen for a moment at the declaration, but neither one of them questioned it. Sam's small, desperate, confused voice wasn't one they needed to argue with.

"Okay...room 301...room 302...here we are. Room 303." Cam said, as he wheeled Sam through the hall. "Um, should I...uh..." He motioned to the door, and Sam just nodded her head. He knocked and then slowly turned the door nob, opening the door. When it was opened wide enough, he wheeled Sam into the room.

J.D. was sat on her bed, her legs indian style, her head rested on her hands, and her eyes shut. It was a long night followed by a long day. Monica had just left the room after running a bunch of standard tests, and she was just completely worn out.

She heard as her hospital room door opened, and she sighed to herself. The last thing she wanted right now was Monica hovering over her with more doctor tools. "Janie?" She opened her eyes at the sound of Cam's voice, shocked to see him standing in her doorway, but even more shocked to see Sam with him, sitting in a wheelchair.

Sam didn't move.

J.D. had been living with them for over a month. She had seen the girl almost every day. She had eaten meals with her. Watched television with her. Gone to the beach with her. They had been together a lot in that passed month.

But now everything seemed different, and as Sam sat in the wheelchair positioned in J.D.'s hospital bed doorway, she felt as though she was looking at the young girl for the first time. Really seeing her for the first time.

And looking at her, Sam didn't know how she couldn't see it sooner. J.D. stared back at her, and Sam knew those eyes. They were Sonny's eyes. The same eyes Kristina and Morgan have.

But the rest of her was Sam. From head to toe. "Oh, God." Sam muttered breathlessly. It all made sense now. The connection she felt to J.D. The reason she knew she had to convince Jason to take her in and find out who she was and how to help her. How she looked so much like Kristina. So much like herself.

Cam stood behind Sam awkwardly. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he could sense something big. He could feel the tension and awkwardness dripping off of the walls. "If you two are just going to stare at each other, maybe I should go." He wanted to make his getaway and let them deal with whatever was going on by themselves.

He saw Sam slowly nod her head in response, so he turned to leave. "Don't." He turned back around swiftly at the small, raspy voice that called at him. His mouth fell open a bit. He didn't even know J.D. could talk. He didn't move. For whatever reason, he could tell J.D. didn't want to be left alone with Sam, so he stayed awkwardly by the door.

"Hi." Sam croaked out after what seemed like an eternity of silence. She couldn't believe she found her voice, let alone chose "hi" to be her first word, but it was the best her brain could send to her mouth at the moment.

J.D. looked down away from Sam and began fiddling with her fingers. "Hi." She replied back. More silence.

"Did you..." Sam couldn't bring herself to finish a sentence. She brought a hand to her mouth and tried to stop the sobs before they came.

J.D. watched as the strong woman she had come to know was now a frail version of herself standing before her. "I'm sorry." J.D. whispered, and Sam's eyes shot up to meet hers. "That I didn't...I should have said about Manny."

"There's a lot you should have said." Was all Sam could think to reply.

Jason stood in the hospital waiting room pacing back and forth. He went over everything in his head again and again, trying to come up with how on earth he was supposed to explain this to Sonny. There was so much that was hard to grasp. And so much that didn't seem plausible. And he didn't want Sonny to freak out, though he knew that was pretty much inevitable.

"Jason!" Jason turned at the sound of his name being called at spotted Sonny down the hall. He took a deep breath. This was going to be a hard conversation to have."Jason what's going on? I was in the middle of something. Someone hurt?"

"Maybe you should sit down." Jason said, motioning towards the couch in the waiting room.

Sonny looked at Jason skeptically. "No, I don't want to sit down, I just want to know what the hell is going on."

Jason sighed. He was just going to have to say it and get it over with. "You remember the girl Kristina brought over to your place a while ago? The one who's been staying at my place?"

"The one who looked alarmingly like Kristina? Yeah. What about her? Is she trouble? She do something to Kristina? Is she a threat?" Sonny immediately jumped to a million conclusions.

"No, Sonny, just listen. A bunch of thugs broke into my place. Knocked me out and managed to take Sam, Spinelli, J.D., and me hostage. We woke up behind bars in some kind of warehouse basement." Jason began to explain.

"So what, is someone attacking the business? You get out okay? Is Sam or Spinelli in the hospital?" Sonny began rambling off questions again.

Jason held up a hand to try and get Sonny to be quiet so he could continue. "Manny's back."

That shut Sonny up for a second. "What? What do you mean Manny is back? Manny Ruiz? Manny Ruiz is dead." Jason just shook his head. "So, what? He hired a bunch of thugs and attacked you all at the Penthouse? How'd you escape? Is he still a threat? Do you need me to go after him?"

"Sonny, I need you to listen to me. Because this next part is a lot to take in. And I need to you stay calm and rational about this, okay?" Jason asked him, knowing that Sonny being calm and rational was pretty much a huge reach. Sonny looked at Jason, waiting for him to continue. "He pretty much confirmed that J.D. is Sam's daughter."

Sonny looked at Jason confused. "Sam's daughter? Sam has a daughter? She never told us about one. Did you know about one?"

"Sonny, she's sixteen. Her name is Lila. And if Manny is telling the truth...she's your and Sam's daughter, Sonny."

Sonny froze, and Jason was afraid of what his next move would be. "That baby died, Jason. Manny's toying with us. It's what he does. He has fun at our expense. This girl's in on it, you think?"

"No, Sonny. I think it's all true."

"No, Jason. That baby died, okay? She's dead." Sonny began to pace back and forth. "And there's no way that now, sixteen years later, she can come back from the dead and into our lives. It's impossible, Jason. There's just no way. She died before the Ruizes came to Port Charles, Jason. This is some bullshit game Manny is playing."

"Sonny, Sam wants to do a DNA test right away to prove this. But my brother...A.J. did this. He made a deal with the Ruizes and Lila got caught in the middle of everything. He faked her death and he kidnapped her." Jason tried his best to explain things to Sonny.

Sonny's mind was racing. "Where is she? Where's my daughter?"

"She's...she's in a hospital room. I had Monica do a bunch of check up stuff to make sure she was healthy. She's okay though, Sonny. I was just having Monica double check." Jason told him.

"I want to go see her. Where is she?" Sonny asked again.

"Room 303 Sonny, but--" Before Jason could finish his sentence, Sonny took off towards J.D.'s hospital room, and Jason made his way right behind him.

Sonny was moving faster than Jason, and it was hard to keep up, trying his hardest not to down right sprint through the hospital. Sonny turned a corner, and Jason lost him for a moment, turning the corner himself and nearly running straight into Elizabeth. "Jason! Have you seen Cam? I can't find him anywhere." She asked him.

"What? No, hang on, Sonny..." Jason couldn't get a whole sentence out as he ran passed Elizabeth. He caught up to Sonny just as they made their way to room 303, and Jason was surprised to find the door open and Cam Spencer standing right in the way of the entrance to the room.

"Move." Sonny instructed him, and Cam practically leaped out of his skin at the mob boss' voice.

Cam did as he was told, and as Sonny brushed passed him, he tripped over Sam's wheelchair that he didn't realize was there and stumbled a bit before gaining his composure. Jason made his way into the room and looked down at Sam. "What're you doing here?" He asked her. "You're supposed to be in your hospital room."

Elizabeth made her way into the room as well, having followed Jason as he ran passed her. "Cam! There you are."

J.D. had jumped out of the bed and was now standing almost up against the wall opposite the crowd that had now gathered at her room door. Sonny looked over at Sam. "Is she our daughter?" He asked her, his mind too jumbled to process most of this. Elizabeth turned to face Jason, shock written all over her face upon hearing Sonny's words.

"Sonny, I..." Sam's sentence hung in the air as she turned back to look at J.D.

Sonny took a step further into the room towards J.D., who did not seem comfortable with it in the slightest. "You start explaining everything. Right now!" He commanded of her.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth leaned over to ask Cam, who just shrugged in response.

"Sonny, back off. This is not the time for that. I know it's hard to grasp, but we have a lot to deal with right now. Let's go find Monica and we'll get a DNA test done and we can figure this all out." Jason said, trying to be reasonable.

Sonny took a couple more steps over towards J.D. "No, Jason, she," he pointed a finger at J.D. "needs to start explaining things right now, before I make her explain." Sonny was desperate, Jason knew it, but the horrified look on J.D.'s face left no room for him to let Sonny act like that.

Jason opened his mouth to say something to calm Sonny down, but Sam beat him to it. "Stay away from her, Sonny." She suddenly snapped at him, her protective instincts kicking in. "We'll get the DNA test. But you need to calm down and back away from her."

"What is going on in here?" They all turned at the sound of Monica's voice coming from behind them. "This is a hospital room, and she is not only a patient, but a young girl. So this crowded bickering can and will continue outside of this room."

"We need answers." Sonny told Monica in a stern voice.

Monica looked over at him. "And I need to make sure my patient is both healthy and comfortable. And by the look on her face, I guarantee she is not the latter of those two things." She turned to face Sam. "And you need to be in your hospital bed until you've been checked out by a doctor. Elizabeth, would you mind bringing Sam back to her room for me, please?" Elizabeth nodded her head. "Jason..." Monica motioned towards Sonny, and Jason got the hint and put his hand on Sonny's back as he lead him out of the room. Monica turned to face J.D. "You get back into that bed and rest, okay?"

"Kay." J.D. responded, breathing a sigh of relief as everyone left her room.

Monica closed the door behind her as they all made their way back into the hallway. "We need a DNA test done, Monica. As soon as humanly possible." Sonny told her.

"A DNA test?" Monica asked, looking to Jason for answers.

"We have reason to believe that J.D. is Sam and Sonny's daughter." Jason answered for her.

Monica's breath got caught in her throat for a second, but she knew not to ask any questions just yet. Jason would explain everything to her later. "Okay, I'll set that up for you right away. Jason and Sonny, why don't you two go wait in the waiting room as I do so, and Elizabeth, can you please bring Sam to her room and I'll send a doctor in to check you out, okay?" Sam nodded her head.

Sam looked over towards Sonny, and the two of them made eye contact with each other before Elizabeth began pushing her towards her room. "We'll have answers soon enough." Sonny told her, and he and Jason turned to head back to the waiting room.


	25. Chapter 25

_wow so sorry this is taking me so long to update. i feel like im failing you all, but im trying hard here i swear! enjoy the update._

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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Sam laid in her hospital bed as she waited for the results of the DNA test. She knew Sonny and Jason were in the waiting room, and she hoped that Jason was able to calm Sonny down. If this was true, which she had slowly begun to accept that it most probably was, she and Sonny had a lot to discuss, they were going to have to work together, and she knew that would be nearly impossible if he didn't calm down.

There was a knock at her door, and she called to whoever it was that they could come in. She sat up straight when she saw as Jason made his way into the room, and she felt her whole body tense up. "You get the results?" She asked him. She was anxious for them.

He shook his head no, and she sighed, her whole body relaxing. She was nervous, even though in her heart she already knew the answer to the test. The only thing was, once it was proven to be absolutely one hundred percent positive, she'd have to start thinking about things she refused to think about right now. How her daughter was treated the past sixteen years. How she should have known her daughter was a live. How she failed Lila as a mother.

A tear fell down her face, and Jason was by her side in an instant, his arms wrapping around her. "We have our daughter back, Jason." She whispered, and he saw the hint of a smile spread across her face. He wasn't exactly sure her words were true, sure, she got her daughter back, but things have changed drastically in many ways since Lila was born, and he wasn't sure he had a place in this girl's life anymore. He knew her real father this time around was sitting in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting the same results her mother was.

"She has your laugh." Jason said, and Sam looked up at him curiously. She scooted over in her bed and he sat down next to her, his arms still wrapped around her. "I didn't really notice at first, since she didn't laugh much or make any sound really, but lately I've been noticing how much you two laugh the same. Now I know why."

Though her heart and head had a million emotions and thoughts running through them, she couldn't help but smile. Her baby girl had her laugh. "When I saw her before, I noticed her eyes right away. She has Sonny's eyes. The same ones that both Kristina and Morgan have."

"She has your nose. And your hair." He said, as he ran his hand through her brown locks. "And she's a surviver, a fighter, just like you are."

"I hope she doesn't have Sonny's stubbornness." She joked, and it made Jason smile seeing her smile and be lighthearted after everything.

He laughed. "If she's stubborn, I'm not sure you can blame that on Sonny's genes. I'm pretty sure that's a trait you carry pretty strongly as well."

"Then I guess she'll have gotten that from both of us." Sam smiled at the thought before looking at Jason with a serious face again. "Has Sonny calmed down? I don't want him around her like that again."

Jason nodded. "He's not...calm. But he's calmer. It's just his way of dealing with this, you know how he is. He'll need it to sink in. Just like you did. Just like you do." He told her. She slowly nodded and she seemed to zone out a bit. "Hey, you still with me?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I just...I just want to go hold her and tell her that everything is going to be okay. Even if I have no idea what okay is. I just want to go and hold her and promise her the world. And tell her how...how sorry I am. And that I'll never lose her again. Ever." She paused for a moment to wipe away a tear that had escaped. "God, Jason. I just want to love her. But when I had Cameron take me to see her, I completely froze. I wanted more than anything to run over to her and hug her and tell her that I love her. But I couldn't. I completely froze because once Cameron opened that door and I looked at her, even though I've known her for months, I was so afraid."

"I wish I knew what to say to make this easier for you." Jason told her. "God, I just want to like...bring AJ back to life just so I can kill him all over again. And don't get me started on Manny--"

"Jason..." Sam interrupted him. "Please. Don't talk about Manny. Not right now. Not yet. I can't deal with that just yet."

Jason leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'll keep you safe, Sam. You and Lila both."

She rested her head on his chest. "I know you will."

Back at her house, Kristina was sprawled out on the couch with her I-Pod on low as she listened to her mom and Molly talk in the kitchen. Molly had just gotten an email from Ric, her father, telling her he wants to spend the summer with her. Alexis was unsure about it, but Molly was excited and trying her hardest to sell her mom on the idea. Kristina pretended not to be able to hear them, listening to her I-Pod. Every child in this town seemed to have some sort of weird parent issues, and listening to her younger sister talk to her mom about hers, it made Kristina forget about her own for the moment.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and when neither Molly or Alexis left their conversation to answer it, Kristina got up from the couch with a sigh, turning her I-Pod and getting up to answer the door. "Cam?" She said as she opened the door and he barged right into her house. "Did I invite you in?"

"You're going to want to hear this. Where's your mom? She needs to get down to the hospital. Your sister, dude, everyone's freaking out. It's nuts." Cam said completely out of breath.

"Why are you like gasping for air? Did you run here? And what do you mean my sister, is Sam okay? Is she hurt?" Kristina asked, him as he continued to try and catch his breath. "Mom! Come here!" Kristina calld for Alexis.

Cam continued to catch his breath as he waited for Alexis to come over so he could explain things to both of them at the same time. "What's going on?" Alexis asked the teenage boy.

"You need to go down to the hospital. Sam and Sonny are down there. It's crazy, I think Sam's gonna need you. She's a mess, you should have seen her." Cam said, and Alexis and Kristina stared at him, waiting for him to explain in detail a little more.

"Is my daughter hurt? What do you mean she's there with Sonny? What's going on?" Alexis fired a million questions at him as she grabbed for her coat.

Cam shook his head. "No, sorry, I'm totally scaring you aren't I? But you should probably sit down for this. Sam's alright like, health wise and all. But, uh, did you know she had a daughter?"

"A daughter?" Kristina asked. "What are you talking about, Sam can't have kids."

"She had a daughter." Alexis said, and Kristina looked over at her. "Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"That has to do with everything!" Cam said, almost sounding excited. "Janie, it's her! She's Sam's daughter!"

Alexis and Kristina's eyes opened wide. "What? What are you talking about?" Kristina asked.

"Cameron, I believe you are mistaken. Sam's daughter died during birth." Alexis told him.

"Well then she's been resurrected. Like a zombie or something. Because I know what I saw. And Sonny and Sam are having a DNA test done right now." Cam tried explaining to Alexis.

Alexis stared at him for a moment, completely taken back by his news. "I need to get to the hospital." She said as she nearly flew out the door.

"Mom, wait. I'm coming with you." Kristina tried to say, but Alexis stopped her as she was trying to get her coat.

"No, Kristina. You stay here with Molly. I'll be back in a little while." She said.

Alexis left, leaving Kristina completely confused and staring at Cam. "Sam's daughter is alive?" She walked over to the couch to take a seat, suddenly feeling the need to sit down. "Wow. This is huge."

"I didn't even know she had a kid. And I know a lot of Sam McCall gossip. It's my mom's favorite brand of gossip." Cam said, and Kristina shot him a look, not amused. "I'm just saying. After all these years of hearing 'Sam McCall let your brother get kidnapped, Sam McCall hired thugs to threaten us at the park, Sam McCall is the devil' I've never heard anything about a kid."

"Sam's not a bad person, Cam. Let alone the devil." Kristina told him.

Cam took a seat next to Kristina on the couch. "Oh, I know. I mean, I don't really know Sam very well, but I know she's not as bad as my mom makes her out to be." They both sat in silence for a moment neither one of them knowing what to say next.

"You know, It's because of Sam's baby that I'm alive." Kristina confided in Cam.

Cam raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?

"I was really sick when I was little and because of Sam's baby, J.D. I guess if all of this is true, gave me her stem cells that I needed." Kristina explained. "I owe my life to this girl who've I been friends with for over a month and have had no idea."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't think anyone had any idea." Cam told her. He watched as her face began to change from the bubbly expressions she usually wore to a more serious and worried one. "Hey, Krissy...it'll all be okay. And I mean, I guess it's kind of cool. You get a new sister, right?" He wrapped his arm around her for comfort, and she slowly nodded her head.

"Yeah...it's just...poor Sam." Kristina said. "I wonder what happened to J.D. for all these years. Where she's been."

Cam shrugged. "I have no idea." They both sat for a bit in silence as they thought about the situation. "Ew."

Kristina looked over at him. "Ew? Ew, what?"

"Sam and Sonny have a daughter." Cam said, and Kristina stared at him.

Kristina wasn't following Cam's point. "So? What's so ew about that?"

"Your sister and your dad have a kid."

"Oh, Cam..." Kristina covered her face with her hands. Now she got it. "Please, I'm begging you. Never, ever, say that again." She paused for a moment. "Ew." She groaned.

Back at the hospital, Sonny paced back and forth in the waiting room anxiously awaiting the results of the DNA test. He was going through in his head all the ways he would focus his time on finding Manny; on making Manny pay. He thought about the daughter he thought he lost and how she was rightfully his and Manny, and AJ for that matter, had no right to take her from him. And if the results were positive, he would see to it that everything found its way back to its right place.

Jason made his way out of Sam's room and Sonny motioned for him to come over. "How's she taking all of this?" Sonny asked Jason of Sam.

"As good as anyone would expect her to be." Jason answered him.

"What are we going to do about Manny, Jason. He needs to pay, and he needs to pay as soon as possible." Sonny began. "I'm sending all my best men out to track him down. I suggest you have Spinelli look into tracing him, too."

Jason nodded his head. "Spinelli's already on it, and don't worry, I have every intention on making finding Manny and making sure he pays for this my number one priority."

"And we need to make sure my daughter is safe, Jason. I don't want her any where near Manny as long as he is still out there. She needs to be kept safe." Sonny continued.

"Yeah, definitely. We'll put a couple more guards on her and definitely keep an extra close eye on her. Her and Sam both. With that sick fuck out there still, there's no telling what he could and would do to get at both of them. He must have sent over a dozen guys to my place the other night. He knows not to mess around and take us lightly." Jason said to him.

Sonny nodded his head. "I completely agree with you. Which is why she's going to be living with me."

"Wait, what?" Jason asked him, hoping he heard wrong.

"Mr. Corinthos? I have your results." Epiphany interrupted them as she made her way over.

"Okay, and?" Sonny asked her, impatiently.

"Wait, Sam should hear this, too." Jason said, and he lead both Epiphany and Sonny into Sam's room to hear the answers. As he opened the door to her room, she popped up in the bed, and when she saw Sonny and Epiphany follow Jason into the room, she knew the results were in.

Sam looked over at Jason who took her hand in his and squeezed it for support. "Well?" Sam asked, and the three of them held their breaths waiting for Epiphany to answer them.

"Well, congratulations Ms. McCall and Mr. Corinthos." Epiphany told them as she read the results. "It's a girl."

And even though they already believed that it was true, hearing it hit them all hard. Sonny reached over and took Sam's other hand, and she looked over into his eyes, that were filled with tears just like her own, and she leaned over to hug him. Everything else disappeared for the moment. Right now, they had their baby girl back.


	26. Chapter 26

_im on a roll! two updates in less than a week from each other! hahaha....enjoy. also, ill give credit where credit is due: thank you kelli and toph for helping me work out some ideas for this chapter. _

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**Superhero**

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Sam, Sonny, and Jason stood around Sam's hospital room in silence. The news, though expected, was overwhelming to say the least, leaving all three of them lost in their own thoughts. The baby girl they grieved for, who they had thought to be dead for sixteen years, was alive. It was all a lie. A lie concocted by AJ Quartermaine that involved one of Sam's biggest nightmares: Manny.

There was a knock at the door, and the three of them turned to see Monica make her way in. "Sam, I'm just going to check you out a bit, but then I think you'll be good to leave this hospital room." Sam nodded as Monica made her way over to check her pulse. "Jason, would you mind going to start filling out Sam's release forms?" Jason nodded his head, and Sonny, not wanting to be left alone with Sam and Monica, followed behind him as they left the room. "You feeling okay?" Monica asked Sam once they were gone.

"Health wise? Fine. Mentally and emotionally? Overwhelmed." She admitted truthfully.

Monica nodded her head. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but J.D. is your daughter?"

"Mine and Sonny's." Sam told her. "According to Manny Ruiz and the DNA test." Sam buried her face in her hands. "God, I feel like the last sixteen years of my life have been a lie."

"You must be overjoyed."

Sam let out a small laugh. "One of many feelings I'm feeling, yeah. I mean, God, I have my baby girl back. I've never wanted anything more than that. But I've missed sixteen years of her life. She's not a little girl anymore. And Manny, I'm sure, put her through hell, and thinking about that..." Sam's eyes filled with tears. "God, I failed her."

Monica reached out to touch Sam's arm. "You didn't fail her, Sam. You just found her. And now I know you'll make everything in that girl's life right again. You'll love her and spoil her and give her everything she could ever wish for. And you'll be the best mother anyone could ask for."

Sam smiled weakly at her. "Thank you."

"Sam?" The door suddenly burst open as Alexis made her way in. "Oh, Sam!" She ran over to give Sam a hug, and Monica quietly excused herself. "That Spencer boy came over and told Kristina and I everything he knew, but you know he's a completely unreliable source. What is going on? Are you okay? Is everything okay?"

"Congratulations." Sam told her. "You're a grandmother."

Alexis' eyes opened wide. "So it's true? Your baby girl...she's alive?" Sam just nodded her head. She couldn't tell the story again. Every time she even thought about what her daughter went through all these years, it hurt a little more. "God, how? What happened? Where has she been all these years?"

"Remember Manny?"

"Manny? Manny Ruiz? Oh, dear Lord, please don't tell me he had anything to do with this. Please don't tell me he's still alive and he's back. Are you in danger? Is your daughter in danger? God, that son of a bitch." Alexis began to rant.

"Alexis, I really don't want to talk about that right now. Please. It's been a long day."

Alexis looked over at Sam and saw how worn out she looked. She looked defeated and scared. Emotionally drained. Alexis took a seat next to her oldest daughter on the hospital bed and let out a deep breath. "Wow. Your daughter is alive." She said in amazement.

"And sixteen." Sam added. "I'm suddenly the mother of a teenage girl."

"Good luck. Trust me, you'll need it." Alexis joked.

Sam let out a small laugh. "I just wish I didn't miss her growing up. I didn't get to see her smile for the first time. Or see her take her first steps. Her first words. I've missed everything. She's practically grown and I missed all of it."

"Hey, quit worrying about what you lost out on and focus on what you're getting back." Alexis told her. "You have your daughter. And now you can build a relationship with her, you can help her really begin her life, you can be there to smile with her during all her triumphs, you can be there to cry with her during all her heartbreaks. God, you can be there to be disappointed but willing to help when she makes stupid mistakes."

"God, I've known her for over a month. I've known my daughter for over a month and I had no idea that it was her."

"I know the feeling." Alexis said, smiling at Sam. "And trust me, as much as it sucked you missed out on a lot of her life, the fact that you've got your daughter back is all that matters." Sam smiled back at Alexis as she wrapped an arm around her.

There was a knock at the door and Monica made her way back in pushing a wheel chair. "You ready to get out of this room, Sam?" She asked.

In the waiting room, Sonny was causing a whole bunch of problems. "I just want to go in to see her."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Corinthos. After your last visit into her room, Mrs. Quartermine put J.D. Jones' room off limits to visitors until she's ready to be released." The nurse at the station tried to explain to him.

"Her name is not Jones! She's a Corinthos, and my daughter, and I suggest you let me in to see her!" He yelled, and Jason made his way over.

He pulled Sonny back away from the nurse. "Sonny, we'll talk to Monica when we see her about you seeing Lila, okay? You just need to calm down before they either refuse to let you see her altogether, or you get to see her and scare her away."

"This is just really frustrating, Jason." Sonny told him. "I thought she was dead, and now she's sitting in that room over there. Can you blame me for being anxious?"

"No, I don't blame you. But this is a difficult situation and we just need to do what's best for everyone involved. Especially what's best for Lila."

"I agree. Which is why I already called Carly and explained things to her and she's on her way here now so I can discuss with her the new living arrangements." Sonny started.

Jason interrupted him. "Sonny, I need to talk to you about that--"

"I don't think Carly will take to the idea at first, especially with her focus mainly on Morgan and it'll be difficult to have another teenager around the house, but I think she'll be okay with it. It's best for Lila. She'll be safe, she'll be able to bond with her brother, and she'll be under my roof where she belongs." Sonny continued to ramble.

"And what about Sam?" Jason asked him.

Hearing her name as Alexis wheeled her into the waiting room, Sam spoke up."What about Sam?" Jason and Sonny turned around to see her. "You guys talking about me behind my back?" She joked.

Monica made her way over to the group before Jason or Sonny could answer Sam. "J.D. is ready to be signed out. I did a thorough check up, and she seems healthy enough. A little too skinny for my liking, but I'm sure you'll be able to plump her right up. Sam, if you want to sign her out, I'll go get her for you." Monica said, handing Sam the release forms and turning around to go get J.D.

"God, I can't wait to just get Lila out of this hospital." Sam said as she filled out the forms.

Jason looked over at Sonny uneasily. There was no way Sam was going to give up Lila so she could live with Sonny. Not after just getting her back. Not wanting so much to get involved, but wanting Sonny to be open for discussion with Sam, he nudged him. "You need to talk to Sam about your decision."

"And what decision would that be, Sonny?" Sam asked him, looking up at him.

"I want Lila to come live with me." Sonny said, point blank.

Sam's eyes narrowed, and Jason knew he was about to be standing in the middle of a fight in about two seconds. "She's coming home with me and Jason, Sonny." Her voice left no room for argument, but Jason knew that wasn't going to stop Sonny.

"Stop being selfish, Sam. She can come home with me and bond with her brother. Not to mention Manny is still out there, and I can keep her safe." Sonny fired back.

"I'm the one being selfish? Sonny, you know Jason is perfectly capable of keeping us safe." She turned to look at Jason, begging him with her eyes for help and support in this argument. She just got Lila back. She wasn't going to willingly let Sonny take her home.

"Sonny, I know you are anxious to be a part of Lila's life, but Sam's her mother and this is hard on everyone. You know I'll keep her safe." Jason tried to help Sam out best he could.

"I'm not trying to cut Sam out here, Jason. I just think it's what's best. She'll get to know Morgan, she'll be safe, and yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to get to know my daughter. You've been living with her for months." Sonny argued.

Alexis decided to speak up on behalf of her daughter. "That's not fair. They didn't know she was your daughter. They didn't know until--"

"Until Manny sent his men into Jason's to kidnap you all, putting you all in danger." Sonny interjected. "What makes you think he won't do that again?"

"We'll be more alert this time, Sonny. Tighten security. You know I wouldn't let that happen again." Jason pointed out.

Sonny shook his head. "It's not good enough. She's coming to live with me."

"Like hell she is!" Sam yelled.

Monica wheeled J.D. out of her hospital room, and they stood in silence, watching the adults fight over her living arrangements. J.D. watched them all carefully as they fought over her, wondering if they would be able to come to an agreement on their own. As she watched them, she started to think. She was afraid of Sam now, now that the fact that she was Lila was revealed. Sam was her mother, and she still had her doubts about her. There was a lot about Sam J.D. still wanted to figure out. And now that Sam knew she was her mother, everything changed. The way she looked at J.D. changed. The way she acted around her changed. And J.D. was afraid that now everything was different. And she wasn't sure she could handle that just yet.

And with Sonny, she hardly knew him. He was her father, but she didn't know anything about him.

Monica cleared her throat, and the group of adults all turned to see J.D. sitting in the wheel chair staring at them. They all stared back for a moment, lost in their own thoughts as they looked at the girl they all thought to be dead. "Lila, we were just discussing--" Sonny began, wanting to explain their arguments to her.

"I know." J.D. interrupted him in a small voice. "And..." she looked away from Sam, avoiding her mother's gaze, "and I want to. Live with you, I mean."

"You...what?" She heard Sam say breathlessly.

"J.D., sweetie, you don't have to make that kind of decision right now." Monica tried to tell the young girl.

J.D. nodded her head. "I want to."

Jason and Alexis both looked at Sam, wondering what was going through her head as she listened to this. Sam's expression was unreadable. "Sam, she's just a teenager. She doesn't get to make a decision like this." Alexis tried to tell her.

"It's fine." Sam said, shocking both Alexis and Jason. "If that's what she wants, then okay. She can live with you, Sonny."

Jason took a step over towards Sam. "Sam, you don't have to...are you sure?"

Sam looked over towards J.D., who continued to avoid her gaze. "If that's what you want, then okay." Alexis continued to look shocked, but Jason didn't. He knew that Sam would do anything for Lila, including letting her live with Sonny if that was what she wanted. He just didn't know how long this arrangement would last.

Jake Spencer and his mom made their way into the house, exhausted after a long day. Lucky was sat at the kitchen table, a pot of pasta on the stove. "Where have you guys been all day? And where's Cam? I thought he was grounded?"

Elizabeth sighed. "He is grounded. And when he gets home from wherever he is, he'll be grounded even longer for ignoring his grounding."

"How you doing, Jake? Feeling better?" Lucky asked his step-son as he made his way over to him for a hug. "I'm glad you're out of the hospital, buddy."

"I'm glad, too. And I'm feeling okay. Just a little sore." Jake answered.

The door suddenly swung open, and Cam made his way into the house. "And where were you? You were supposed to come straight home from the hospital before." Elizabeth reprimanded him.

"Dude, mom, after that whole mess at the hospital, I had to go over to Kristina's. I sent her mom to the hospital to check on Sam, and filled Kristina in on what was going on. How crazy was all of that? It was insane." Cam rambled excitedly, and both Jake and Lucky looked over at Elizabeth, confused, waiting for an explanation.

"What's going on? Is Sam okay?" Lucky asked.

Elizabeth shot him a look. "Sam is fine."

"She has a kid, dad, it's crazy. You know Janie? That girl that's been staying at Mr. Morgan's place? Turns out she's Sam's dead daughter. Except obviously not so dead. It's crazy, right? Like something out of a soap opera." Cam told Lucky, who just stared at him in return.

Lucky looked over at Elizabeth. "Wait, wait, wait. You mean Sam's daughter that died in childbirth that she and Jason were supposed to raise together?"

"My dad and Sam were going to raise a baby together?" Jake interrupted, curiously.

"Okay, you two go upstairs so your father and I can talk." Elizabeth ordered them.

The two slowly made their way upstairs, and Jake followed Cam into his room. "Cam, what did dad mean? Sam and my dad had a baby together?"

"Okay, I got most of the story from Kristina, and she didn't know a lot of the details, but from what I understand, Sam got pregnant when she was having like an affair of sorts with Sonny Corinthos." Cam began to explain to him. "But Mr. Corinthos and, you know Carly, they were trying to make things work between them, and since Sam was pretty much in the way of that being pregnant and all, Mr. Morgan stepped up and was going to pretend to be the baby's father and raise it with Sam. But then supposedly, the baby died. She was born stillborn or something, I don't know. And now they're finding out she didn't actually die at all. Which is nuts, could you imagine? And I mean, man, J.D. totally looks like she belongs with them. The black clothes. The dark brooding nature to her."

Jake sat down on Cam's bed, his mind going off in a million directions. "So, what? Is my dad and Sam going to be her parents now?"

Cam shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't stick around long, it was chaotic. Who knows though, now that Mr. Corinthos and his wife are in a good place, and after that Michael kid died and Morgan had to leave school because he got all weird, they might like another teenager around the house. Who knows."

Jake sat in silence for a minute. "Michael wasn't just some kid, Cam. He was like a son to my dad, and because he got shot, me and Kristina are kept safer than he was. For our own good. Away from the mob violence." Jake repeated the lecture he had gotten over a million times in his life about why he couldn't be a part of Jason's life. "My dad loved Michael like he was his own son. And he was going to raise Sam's baby, even though she wasn't him. And look what happened to both of them. I'm the one who's safe, right?" He asked his brother, unsure of anything he was saying.

"I'm going to take a risk here and say that I'm pretty sure all of that had a lot more to do with Mr. Corinthos than it did Mr. Morgan, but I mean, sure. You're safe. Even though you were impaled by glass the other night. And that you've been kidnapped twice. And locked alone in a house that was on fire--"

"I think that one was your fault." Jake interrupted his brother.

"My point being, Jake, no one is safe. No one's ever been safe. So why not enjoy yourself anyway?" Cam said with a shrug. "Now get out of my room."

Jake made his way out of his brother's room and into the bathroom. He turned on the light and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He studied his long blonde hair and blue eyes. He reached up to feel the collar of his yellow striped polo shirt. Cam was right. J.D. did look like she belonged in that family. And Jake? Jake looked like he belonged right where he was. With his mom and his step-dad, the policeman.

And now what? Jason was going to be a dad to this girl just like he was a father figure to Michael? Jake wasn't sure how he felt about that. But he did know that Cam was right. He was no safer staying away from Jason than he would be as part of Jason's life. He had been hurt and kidnapped and none of it felt worth it. He would gladly do it all again if Jason would treat him like a son.

He picked up Cam's electric razor and turned it on, twirling a lock of his long blonde hair in his other hand. It was time to change things.

Carly stood by Jason as Sonny listened to Monica explain to him all the vitamins and such she wanted him to make sure J.D. took so she would become a healthier weight. Sonny gripped onto J.D.'s wheelchair as Jason held onto Sam's across the room. "You want to leave, Sam?" He asked, wondering if this was going to get too hard for her to watch Sonny wheel her daughter out the door and into his life.

Sam shook her head. "Not until Lila does. I'm not leaving her."

Carly looked over at Jason. "Are we sure this is a good idea?" She asked him. "She should be living with Sam, we all know this. Somewhere deep down, I'm sure Sonny even knows this. He's just being stubborn." She whispered to him.

"Carly, you're a horrible whisperer. This is what Lila wants. She was held captive by Manny for years, I think she deserves to get at least one thing that she wants after going through all that, don't you think?" Sam snapped at her.

Sonny made his way over to them with J.D. "We ready to go?" He asked Carly.

"Yeah. I already explained as much as I could to Morgan, but I figured you could talk to him when we get home." She told him and then turned to Sam. "You know we'll take good care of her, Sam."

"And feel free to come over whenever you want." Sonny added.

Sam ignored the both of them and looked at J.D. "I'm not letting you go, Lila. You can live with Sonny and you can get comfortable there but I'm not giving you up. Not when I just got you back. If you need time for all this, I'll give it to you. But I love you, I've always loved you, and I'm not giving you up ever again."

J.D. watched her carefully as she spoke, and slowly nodded her head when she finished. "Come on, let's go." Sonny said, and he turned to wheel J.D. into the elevator. As Carly passed Sam, she touched her arm comfortingly before following her husband and now step-daughter.

As the elevator closed and they disappeared from sight, Jason reached for Sam's hand. "You okay?" He asked her.

"Let's just go home, Jason." She begged him, and he nodded his head and took her home.


	27. Chapter 27

_meh ive been soooo busy im so sorry. ive been wanting to write an update for so long. but yay! i was able to today. hopefully another one either tomorrow or the next day, too, i have a lot of free time this week. enjoy!_

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**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"Just make yourself at home." Sonny said as he opened the door to his place. J.D. followed behind Carly as they made their way in. "Your room will be the spare across the hall from Morgan's room. I'm going to send someone over to Jason's to get any of your things you left over there. Anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask."

J.D. nodded her head and the awkward silence set in. Carly looked over at Sonny, waiting for him to say or do something next to end the awkwardness. "Mom?" Morgan interrupted the silence as he made his way downstairs.

"Morgan, sweetie, we're home." Carly said, making her way over to her son. She wrapped her arm around him. "You remember J.D., right? She's going to be staying with us for a while, like we talked about before I left."

Sonny motioned for Morgan to sit down on the couch, and he did. "You were just a baby when it happened, but you know Sam?" Morgan nodded his head. "She and I had a baby. And for a while we thought that baby was gone, but turns out, she's not."

"J.D. is that baby?" Morgan asked.

"Yes. And she's going to be staying here for a while so we can get to know each other. And so that you two could get to know you better. Because you're her big brother now." Sonny told him.

Morgan looked over at J.D. "She's my sister? Like Kristina?"

"Yes. Like Kristina." Sonny smiled at his son. "So it's your job to take care of her and make her feel at home, okay buddy?"

Morgan nodded. "Okay." He turned to face J.D. "I got a new videogame, maybe you want to come up to my room and play it with me?"

"Um, sure. I'll...I'll be right up." J.D. told him, and Morgan left the room to head upstairs.

Sonny made his way over to his office room. "I've got some work to do, but if you need anything, you let me or Carly know and we'll take care of it." He told her, and with that, he was gone behind his door.

J.D. took the moment to look around the home she was now living in. Carly stood by awkwardly watching her as she made her way over to all of the pictures she had looked at briefly in her last couple visits to Sonny's place. "That's Michael." Carly said, pointing out the red haired boy she had been familiar somewhat with already. "He would have been a great big brother to you. He was a great big brother to both Morgan and Kristina."

"So Michael, Morgan, and Kristina are all my brothers and sister?" J.D. asked her new step-mom.

Carly nodded. "And you have a much older brother, Dante, but he and your father don't get along. He doesn't live around here either, he's from Bensonhurst. You probably won't see him any time soon."

J.D. took it all in. She knew of Kristina's relationship with Sonny. Her friend, now sister, had often confided in how she wished he would pay more attention to her. And where her three new older brothers were concerned, one had died because of their father's business, one didn't talk to their father, and one was traumatized because of the events that went on during his life. Not a great track record with kids. J.D. almost wondered how soon it would be before he messed her up.

Then again, she was already messed up. She was kidnapped because of him to begin with.

"I'm sure this is a lot to take in." Carly told her, and J.D. smiled at her. She's known Carly for hardly an hour, but she liked the woman. "We're actually having a banquet dinner in Michael's name in a few weeks. Consider this your official invite."

"A banquet dinner?"

"We have it every year to raise money for head trauma research. Almost everyone in the entire town comes. I know it might be a little too overwhelming for you, but Michael would want you there. So think about it, okay?" Carly told her.

"Okay. I will."

Carly smiled at her. "Now why don't you go upstairs and play with Morgan?" J.D. nodded, and made her way up the stairs.

Back at the Penthouse, Jason and Spinelli stared at Sam as she scrubbed at the coffee table. They had already watched as she vacuumed the entire penthouse, dusted Jason's desk and the mantle, and cleaned the whole kitchen. "Stone Cold, the Jackal must insist that we put a stop to this, no matter how nice the cleansed casa will be."

"Yeah, Sam, Spinelli is right. You've been at it all day, come sit down and rest." Jason said, walking over to her and attempting to take the scrub brush out of her hand.

She pulled back, and turned her back to face him so she could continue to scrub without him taking it from her. "I'm almost done, Jason. This place is a mess."

"Sam, come on." Jason knew what she was doing. She was upset about all of the events that had taken place, most specifically Lila going to stay with Sonny, and she was cleaning to keep her mind off of it, which he knew wasn't healthy. "Sit down and breathe for a second."

She didn't listen, so not wanting to waste anytime persuading her, and most likely getting nowhere, Jason picked her up off of the floor where she was cleaning and plopped her down on the couch. "You seriously did not just do that, Jason! I'm trying to clean, now can you please just back off and leave me alone?" She snapped at him.

"No, Sam. Because you and I both know why you're acting like this. Can we at least just talk about it? Lila is just over at Sonny's. We can go over there and see her if you want." Jason tried to reason with her.

"This is all your fault you know." She snapped at him, standing up and stepping close to him.

Spinelli stood awkwardly at the door. "You know what? The Jackal just remembered a small favor I was meant to do for Maximista, so I should...go." He said as he ducked out the door, leaving Sam and Jason alone.

Jason stared at Sam. "What is my fault?"

"Nothing. Everything." Sam said, not exactly knowing why she was yelling at Jason, only knowing that she had to yell at someone before she exploded. Or cleaned all of Port Charles. "You were supposed to have killed Manny!"

Jason's eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped a bit. "I...Sam..." He knew she was being irrational, but all in all, it was a low blow. He thought he had killed Manny.

"And AJ was your brother. Your stupid jealous brother. He did all this. He started all this!" She yelled.

"I know you're upset, but it's not fair to take it out on me, Sam." Jason responded to her calmly. "You could have stopped J.D. from staying with Sonny. If you want, we can go over there and convince Sonny to let her come back here where she belongs."

Sam didn't listen to him. "You held her, Jason! You held her in your arms and you couldn't tell she was still alive? Jason, you held her in your arms!"

"You think I don't know that?" He finally snapped and yelled back. "You think I don't know that I could have stopped all this from happening? You think I don't know that if I was able to stop AJ or kill Manny or realize as I held your baby girl's still body in my hand that she wasn't actually dead that I could have changed all this? That we could have had a daughter all this years and still be together and have had our own family all this time?"

Sam stared at Jason. "Jason, I..." She took a step closer to him and touched his arm with her hand. "I didn't mean...I'm sorry."

Jason shook his head. "Forget it. I just..." He tried to step away from her, but she brought her hands to his face, looking him in his eyes. "I let you down, Sam. So many times."

Sam looked in his eyes, really looked into them. And her breath caught in her throat when she saw the pain and the confusion and the sadness that she had in her own eyes mirrored in his. And before she knew what she was doing, her arms were around his neck and she was pulling herself up on her tip toes to reach his mouth with her own.

He deepened the kiss, wanting to taste her. She pushed herself closer to him and she grabbed the sleeves of his shirt, holding onto him with desperation and want. She was throwing herself at him, and for a second, he let the want he had for her blind him.

But when she pushed herself into his body so hard he stumbled back a step, he realized how desperate she was for comfort. And he broke their kiss and looked into her eyes, which were clouded with confusion and tears. And he knew he couldn't do this. "Sam..." He said, trying to stop her as she brought her mouth back to his and kissed him. "Sam, stop." He pushed her away gently, and she looked at him, the hurt look of rejection playing on her face.

She backed away a few steps, and he immediately regretted doing whatever he just did to hurt her. "Sam, I--"

"It's fine. I shouldn't have, I guess I just read you wrong. I mean, you did sleep with me the other day. And you just started talking about how you wished things were different and we were a family and still together. I thought you wanted me, but, my bad, I guess I just read you wrong." She said, walking away from him.

Jason tried to stop her. "Sam, no, that's not what I'm saying, you're just vulnerable and upset. I don't want to take advantage of that. This isn't how this should happen."

"Just say that you don't want me, Jason." She said, tears filling her eyes, and he knew that the tears had a lot to do with everything that was going on as well as the situation at hand right now. "Say that you could never want me. That I'm nothing but the horrible person you threatened to kill all those years ago and nothing has changed."

He didn't know what to say. They hadn't once in their newfound friendship after all of their relationship troubles years ago had mentioned the past. There had always been a silent agreement between the two of them to let the past stay in the past. And here she was, bringing it up finally. "Sam, you know that's not true. You know that's not how I feel."

"I need to go." She said, grabbing her jacket and heading towards the door.

"Sam, no." He called after her. "It's dangerous for you out there. Manny is out there."

"I can't be here right now, Jason." She told him, and it was true. She knew she was being unreasonable. She knew she was acting unhinged, but she couldn't help it. Her emotions were thick and they were bubbling inside of her. The memories of when she was pregnant. All of the memories of her and Jason together. The memories of losing her baby girl. The memories of the terror Manny was. She needed to get out of that Penthouse and away from Jason. She needed to get some air and some time to think. "I'm sorry, I need to go."

She ran out the door, and almost as fast as she left, Jason grabbed his coat and was out the door after her.

Meanwhile, Jake searched through his brother's closet for a shirt. He had on a pair of jeans and wanted to find a shirt that wasn't one of his usual polos. He wanted a regular t-shirt. Truth be told, he wanted a dark colored t-shirt.

He let out a frustrated groan when he couldn't find one, and grabbed for the next best thing, a black sweatshirt that was small on Cam and only a little to big on Jake. He threw it on over his head and went to look in the mirror. He ran his hand through his newly cut spikey hair and searched for a resemblance. Something to make him feel more like Jason Morgan's son.

"Cam? Can you give me your hamper? I need to do your laundry." Elizabeth said as she entered her oldest son's room and paused as she realized Cam wasn't in there, but Jake was. "Oh..my..God, Jake, what did you do to your hair?" She practically shrieked at him when she saw him, causing him to turn around startled.

"I...I cut it." Jake muttered out.

Elizabeth stared at him. "Why in God's name would you do that? And take that sweatshirt off and go put on a clean shirt!" She knew what her son was doing, and she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"I wanted my hair like this. And why? I want to dress like this." He told his mom.

She shook her head. "No you don't. And go wash that gel out of your hair and unspike it. Now."

"No." He said, and she stared at him. Cam rebelled. Cam said no. But never Jake. Jake was the good kid.

"Did you just tell me no?" She asked him.

He hesitated for a moment. "I'm not getting dressed. And I'm wearing my hair like this. And I'm going to look like my dad and I'm going to see my dad whether you like it or not!" He yelled at her.

"Oh no you aren't! This isn't funny, Jake! I know you wish you could get to know your father, but it's not going to happen! I'm trying to keep you safe!" She yelled back at him.

"You're trying to run my life!" He yelled. "You and dad both decided for me what's safe and what's not safe and it's not fair!"

"You have a father who loves you and his name is Lucky!"

"And I love Lucky, too, but he's not my real dad!"

"Yes he is!" Elizabeth yelled, and Jake took a step back and stared at her with wide eyes, as she immediately began to look pale.

Jake shook his head. "What? What are you talking about?" He asked her in a soft voice.

Elizabeth bit her lip. She and Lucky both decided they would tell Jake together. After they spoke to Jason. After things calmed down. "You...you remember how when you were in the hospital we ran a few blood tests?"

Jake stared at her. "You had a paternity test done on me without telling me?" He asked her, his head beginning to spin. "Why...why would you do that?"

"Dr. Quartermaine had asked Jason and I to give blood when you were first brought in. Your and Jason's blood types didn't match up. It didn't make any sense, so, after talking to Lucky, we decided to go ahead with a paternity test. We didn't want to say anything to worry you or Jason until we found out for sure." Elizabeth explained to her son.

"Which you did. You got the results." Jake said as more of a fact than a question. "And you're just telling me this now."

"Baby, Lucky and I were going to tell you. And Jason. We were just waiting for the right time." Elizabeth took a step closer to her son, seeing how confused and hurt he looked.

Jake pushed her away. "This is bullshit!"

"Jake, watch your mouth!"

"You're lying! You hate Jason and you hate everything about Jason's life and you don't want me anything like him so you're lying to me so I stop trying to look like him!" Jake yelled and ran past his mother.

"Jake! Stop! Where are you going?" She yelled after him, but all she heard in response was the front door slamming behind him.


	28. Chapter 28

_i'm suddenly working enough hours to be considered full time instead of part time. and school starts in a couple of weeks. so im really sorry the updates are so spread apart, but i promise there will always be updates as soon as i can, and im not going to ever give up on this story. there's so much planned for it that i'm excited to write, and i'm going to finish it. even if it may take me a while. i hope you guys enjoy. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

"Sam?"

Sam turned around startled by the voice behind her. She hadn't known where to go after she fled from Jason's penthouse, and somehow ended up by the docks. She knew it was stupid for her to be out by herself, with Manny out there somewhere, but she also knew if she went anywhere else, to Alexis', to Maxie's, anywhere, she would be putting other people in danger as well.

So she ended up here, not sure where to go next. "Sam, are you okay?"

She watched as her younger sister made her way over. "I'm fine, Kristina."

"No you aren't." Kristina said, and Sam knew that there was no lying. She was too emotionally drained to hide it. She was a mess. She began to sob and Kristina ran over to pull her older sister into a hug. "I'm guessing it's all true then. Mom hasn't told me much, and you know Cam's not the most reliable source." She said as they broke apart.

Sam wiped away the tears from her eyes, wanting to compose herself in front of Kristina. "Yeah. It's true."

"Well, that's great!" Kristina said with a big smile, and Sam raised an eyebrow at her. "...isn't it? I mean, J.D. is finally where she belongs, and she's safe, and she's loved. And you get the daughter you always wanted. And I get another sister, which is pretty cool." Sam stared at her for a moment. "Why aren't you more thrilled about this?"

"I am thrilled. I'm more than thrilled." Sam told her. "My daughter is alive."

"Then what's the problem?" Kristina asked. "Why are you crying here, Sam? What exactly am I missing here?"

"It's just a lot, Kris. It's a lot emotionally to take. I grieved over the loss of my baby girl for years. And I still have nightmares of Manny, even when I thought he was dead. And then she chose Sonny over me, and while I want to give her time and space, that still stung. And then I snapped at Jason, and now here I am." Sam said. "I'm thrilled to have my daughter back. And I love her, I've always loved her. I just need time for my emotions to calm down, I guess."

Kristina paused for a moment. "What do you mean she chose dad over you?"

Sam sighed. "She's living with him. He wanted her to, and she agreed."

"She's living with dad?" Kristina asked, completely shocked.

"Yeah." Sam let out a dry laugh. "She should get to spend time with him, though. And Morgan."

"I can't believe she's actually living with him." Kristina repeated. "I wouldn't be too worried though, if I were you."

Sam looked over at her sister curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Sonny is a horrible father. And J.D. will learn that soon enough." Kristina said, and then looked at the time on her cell phone. "I should be going. You know how mom gets. Do you want to come over? I don't want to leave you here alone."

Sam shook her head. "No. I don't really want to deal with Alexis, either." Sam joked, and Kristina let out a small laugh. "I'm just going to stay here to clear my head a little bit more. I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to call Jason or something?" Kristina asked. She didn't know all of the details, but she knew enough about Manny to know that Sam could possibly be in a lot of danger.

"I'll be fine, Kris. But you should really get home. It's getting late and I don't like thinking that you're wandering around Port Charles alone." Sam told her. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm going to head home soon."

Kristina eyed her sister carefully. "Okay. I'll talk to you later, Sam."

"Bye, Kristina."

Back at Sonny's, J.D. found herself really enjoying her time with Morgan. Though Sonny had been shut in his office ever since they had gotten home that morning, Carly had been nice enough, making sure J.D. was comfortable. She noticed how protective Carly was of Morgan, and even now as they played catch in the yard, she would spot Carly every few minutes watching over them through the window.

She wondered if Carly was always that paranoid, or if it started after her oldest son was shot and her youngest son started to become more and more traumatized and socially inept.

"J.D., I mean Lila, you have to follow through when you throw the ball. Or else it won't go as far. See?" Morgan demonstrated as he threw her the ball. She held her glove out, which Morgan had told her once belonged to Michael, and that Michael would have wanted her to use it, but missed the ball anyway.

She picked it up off of the ground. "You can call me J.D., Morgan. And like this?" She asked as she threw a ball, actually reaching her target this time.

"Yeah! That was great!" Morgan said, excitedly. J.D. couldn't help but smile widely.

They played catch for a while, and J.D. was enjoying her time with her brother. For the first time she began to think about the "what ifs", something she never let herself think much of before. What if she had grown up alongside Morgan and even Michael. Would she have played catch with them all the time? Would she and Kristina have grown up painting each others nails and telling stories of boys? Would she and Jason and Sam have been a family?

She stopped herself there. There were some things she didn't like to dwell on.

"J.D.!" She turned her head as the fiery blonde made herself over to the two of them. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

J.D. turned to see Morgan beginning to take a few steps back, retreating into himself as he often did around people he wasn't comfortable with. "Morgan, it's okay. It's just Maxie. She's my friend." Morgan just slowly nodded, but stayed quiet. J.D. turned to Maxie. "You're scaring him."

"Spinelli said you were talking now, but it's nice to hear your voice." Maxie commented. "Spinelli also mentioned that you opted to stay here instead of with Sam. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Maxie, Carly is watching us and she's not going to be happy to look out the window to see you yelling at us."

"Don't. Don't try to weasel your way out of this lecture I'm about to give you, because I practiced it all the way here, and damn it, I'm going to deliver it to you!" J.D. fell silent as Maxie practically screamed at her. "Why would you do that to Sam?"

"I didn't..."

"After she convinced Jason to let you stay at the penthouse before she even knew who you were. She took care of you and made sure Jason and everyone else did the same. She cared about you before she even realized you were her daughter. And now that it's out in the open, which by the way I can't believe you kept that a secret from me, but I'll let that slide for now, you're going to turn your back on her? After everything she went through after thinking you died? She loves you, J.D. Why would you choose Sonny over her?" Maxie ranted.

"Because I'm scared!" J.D. yelled back, taking Maxie by surprise. "I'm scared of what Manny could still do to me. Or Sam. I'm scared that now everything is different. That Jason and Sam won't look at me the same way anymore. I'm scared that everything will be messed up now. I'm scared of Sam. I'm scared of what is going to happen next."

"So you ran? You're using Sonny to hide out?" Maxie asked her.

"He's my dad, Maxie. I want to get to know him." J.D. used as an excuse.

Maxie's eyes narrowed. "Bullshit. Don't you lie to me. Get to know Sonny? What's to know? He's a self centered ass. And he was never going to be your dad. Maybe you should get your facts straight before you start playing house with him."

J.D. paused and stared at Maxie for a second. "What do you mean?"

Before Maxie could answer, Carly stormed outside. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Maxie?" She yelled, wrapping a protective arm around Morgan. "I can't believe the guards even let you in!"

"Relax, Carly. I was just leaving." Maxie fired back at her. She turned to face J.D. "You're making a mistake. Sam's the best thing that could ever happen to anyone."

Maxie turned on her heel and left, and as they watched her leave, Carly turned to the two kids. "Come on, let's get inside. It's getting dark out." Carly and Morgan began making their way in, but J.D. hesitated for a moment as she continued to watch Maxie walk away. "Lila, come on. Let's go inside." Carly repeated, snapping J.D. from her thoughts as she followed her now step mother inside.

At the penthouse, Jason paced back and forth, his cell phone in his hand as he continued to repeatedly call Sam's cell, hoping that she would eventually give in and pick up. He had searched all over for her, coming up empty handed. He assumed she knew he'd come looking for her, so he doubted that she would go anywhere he would look. Most likely she was moving around, not wanting to be in one place too long, her fear of Manny getting the better of her.

He had his own fears about Manny and Sam's safety while he was still out there.

He sent out his men to keep an eye out for Sam, and he went back to the penthouse, to wait and hope that she would just come back home. She had been gone for hours, and every second she was gone scared him even more. He hated that she was out there alone, and that he was the one to make that happen.

There was a sudden knock at his door, and his heart stopped as he ran over to it, opening it wide hoping to see Sam standing on the other side. His heart sunk with disappointment when he saw Elizabeth standing there. "Jason, I need your help."

He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Not now, Elizabeth. I don't have time. We have a lot going on, you know that. And Sam is my number one priority--"

"Jason, it's Jake. He ran away, and I can't find him anywhere!" She interrupted him, tears springing to his eyes. "I was hoping maybe he came here. Lucky is out searching for him, but I was hoping he just ran here."

Jason stared at Elizabeth for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Why would he come here? What happened to make him run?" Jake, from what he knew, was a good obedient kid.

"He and I got into a fight, we never get into fights, and he stormed out and that was this afternoon and I haven't seen him since. I'm scared, Jason. I thought he would be here. I was counting on him being here." She rambled as she entered the penthouse.

Jason closed the door behind her. "He's not here, Elizabeth. I can make a few calls to have people on the look for him if you want."

"Lucky already has the police department looking for him. God, Jason, I hate that I don't know where he is! I shouldn't have told him. I knew he wouldn't be able to handle it, that's why we didn't tell him right away to begin with!" She rambled, and then her eyes opened wide when she realized she had already said too much.

"Couldn't handle what, Elizabeth?" Jason asked, getting immediately that there was more to the story than Elizabeth was telling him. Jake wasn't the type of kid to run away. He wasn't even the type of kid to get into a fight with his mother. Something had happened to change that. "And why would you think Jake would be here? What aren't you telling me, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth bit her lip. She knew she was going to have to tell him now. "I found Jake this morning wearing black and sporting a short new spikey hairdo. It freaked me out, so I told him to get changed. I probably shouldn't have freaked out as much as I did, but you have to understand I've spent all of Jake's life trying to protect him from your lifestyle and I don't want him to rebel and do anything rash and dangerous."

"Elizabeth, he's my son, too. And I've kept my distance because it's what you want and it's what you think is best, but if Jake wants to get to know me and is acting out because of it, maybe we should leave those kind of decisions up to him. He's not a child anymore." Jason told her. The thought that Jake cut his hair and dressed like him made his heart flutter for a moment. He liked the thought.

"There's something else, Jason." Elizabeth said, and he could tell by the look on her face that this wasn't going to be good. She took a deep breath. "Lucky and I wanted to tell you and Jake, we just wanted to make sure before we sprung this on the two of you. And I didn't mean to tell Jake the way I did, Lucky wanted to be there and we wanted to do it calmly and supportively."

"Elizabeth, cut to the chase." He already knew where she was going with this, even though he didn't want to believe it.

"Jason, when Jake got hurt and Monica asked us to give blood..."

"Tell me he's my son, Elizabeth. Tell me that Jake is my son and that what I'm thinking now can't be true." He interrupted her.

"The blood types didn't match up, Jason."

He shook his head. "No. That doesn't mean anything. The paternity test--"

"Lucky and I had another one done." She interrupted him. "The results were...different."

Jason walked over to the couch to sit down. "Lucky is Jake's father." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "After everything, he's Jake's father after all."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I guess it all worked out the way it should have been." She turned to head towards the door to leave. "I'm sorry, Jason. If you hear from Jake, please just send him home."

Jason didn't move as Elizabeth left the penthouse.

Night fell, and J.D. was suddenly jerked awake from her sleep from a nightmare. Manny had entered her dream and it had scared her to the core. He had taken her and made her pay for leaving. A thought that seemed all too plausible. She pulled back her blanket and hopped out of the bed, making her way down into the livingroom, wanting to check the place to make sure Manny was no where to be found. She needed to feel safe, but at the moment, she couldn't.

She searched around the living room, and all seemed clear. She let out a sigh, wanting to feel relief, but she still didn't feel safe. Not like she did at Jason's.

Suddenly she felt like someone was in the room with her, and she felt her heart stop and her blood run cold. Turning around she let out a yell as she came face to face with a gun.

"Jesus Christ!" Sonny yelled when he realized it was J.D., lowering his gun. "What on earth are you doing? You can't just roam around!"

"Sorry." She mumbled quietly, still shaking and trying to calm down her nerves.

Sonny put the gun down. "What are you doing out of bed? It's the middle of the night."

"I...I had a bad dream. Manny was..."

"Manny isn't here. We have guards. Security is tight. You have nothing to worry about. Go back to bed." He said, and turned to head back to his own bed. When she didn't move, he turned back around. "Seriously, go to bed. I can't have you wandering around here. Get yourself a glass of water or something and then go back to bed."

She stared at him and he turned around again to head to bed. "Do you have any milk?" She asked him suddenly, and he stopped to turn around, raising an eyebrow at her. "Because hot milk, it, you know, helps you sleep."

"That's disgusting." Sonny commented. "Just get a glass of water. You have nothing to worry about. Now go to bed." She still didn't move. "Now." He commanded harsher, and she turned on her heel and headed up into the guest room they had given her.

She got into her room and sat on the bed, as she listened to Sonny as he made his way back into his. She still didn't feel safe, and Sonny didn't comfort her one bit. Jason's penthouse had security and guards, too, but that didn't stop Manny from getting in. And yet, she still felt safer there. And before Jason even got to know her or warm up to her that first night she spent with him, he had made sure she felt comfortable and helped her when she couldn't sleep.

A lot more than her father did just now.

And what Maxie had said earlier still haunted her mind. Sonny wasn't going to be her father? What did that even mean?

Did she make a mistake coming here?

She looked out her window. Sonny's security didn't scare her. She was quiet and she was good at sneaking out. She had escaped from Manny, she sure as hell could escape from Sonny's. She made her way over to the window and opened it, pausing only for a moment. She would miss Carly and especially Morgan, but she knew she had to feel safe. It was the whole reason she escaped from Manny's to begin with.

Jason still sat on his couch, his head in his hands. The door to the penthouse slowly opened, and he turned to it, surprised when he saw Sam making her way through. He stared at her for a moment before getting up off of the couch and over to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he engulfed her. "God, I was so worried, Sam. I searched everywhere and I have men out looking for you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, Jason. I just needed to clear my head." She wrapped her arms around him in return, needing to feel secure in his arms.

"Please don't leave like that again, no matter what. I can't stand the thought of you out there alone, Sam. God, I was so worried."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Jason."

"I don't care about any of that, Sam. All I care about is that you're safe."

"I'm just lost. But I'm going to pull myself back together. For Lila."

"I know you will. And I'm here for you, Sam. Every step of the way." He held onto her tighter, not wanting to let go.

She pulled back to look at him for a moment, noticing the expression on his face. "Jason, are you okay? Did something happen? Is it Lila...Jason--"

"No, Lila is fine." He immediately assured her. "It's not that. Look, it's nothing to dump on you right now, you have enough going on."

"Jason...talk to me."

He sighed and made his way over to the couch, holding her hand and leading her to follow him. "Elizabeth stopped by. Jake ran away and she thought he might have been here."

"She thought he would come here? And why would Jake run away? He's such a good boy."

"He and Elizabeth got into a fight. About me."

Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "He wants to know his father. And he's probably going to keep fighting with her until he gets to. I still can't believe you let her manipulate you to say away from Jake."

"Sam..."

"No, Jason. I know you and I don't talk about Jake, like, ever, because..." Her sentence faded out. "But I do think it's bullshit that Elizabeth convinced you that your life is too dangerous for that boy. Jason, he's your son."

"No, Sam. He's not."

She froze. "What?"

"At the hospital, Elizabeth and I gave blood in case he needed it. Our blood types don't match. Elizabeth and Lucky had another test done. Jake is Lucky's. There must have been a mistake with the first one." Jason explained. He let out a deep breath. "This is better, though. He's already part of that family, and now he doesn't have to worry about having me for a biological father on the side."

"You don't mean that, Jason." Sam whispered, her heart still pounding heart from that bomb that just fell. "Is he still missing?" Jason nodded his head. "You need to go look for him."

Jason turned to face her. "Sam, I don't want to leave you..."

"Go, Jason. I'll be fine. Jake needs you right now, and I know deep down you need him right now. Go." She told him. He hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. "I'll be here when you get back. I won't run again." She told him when he turned back.

"I'll be home as soon as I know he's safe."

Sam watched as he left the door and once she knew he was gone, all of her defenses and walls dropped. She felt dizzy, she felt sick. Jake wasn't Jason's son? After everything that had happened around and after his birth, he wasn't Jason's after all?

It must have been the final straw on the weight of Sam's emotions, cause she suddenly felt as though she was going to break. She ran up the stairs and into the bathroom, where she fell to the floor as she began to get sick. She couldn't hold anything in anymore, and she needed to let it all out. She cried as she vomited into the toilet, her whole body shaking.

"Sam?" She heard a voice call her name, but she couldn't move. "Sam!" The voice grew louder as J.D. ran into the bathroom and at Sam's side. She held back Sam's hair as she continued to throw up.

"Where did you come from?" Sam managed to say as she tried to catch her breath.

"The window." J.D. answered simply, not going into details of sneaking out of Sonny's place. Sam was about to say something, when she suddenly turned to get sick again.

Finally feeling better, Sam sat back from the toilet as J.D. reached over to flush it. Still crying, Sam sat on the floor as J.D. knelt next to her, not knowing what to do or why Sam was upset. "Two things."

"What?" J.D. asked, not sure what Sam was trying to say.

"Two things have broken me so bad in my life. Two things. And now I find out that they were both lies." Sam sobbed. Not knowing what she was talking about, J.D. did the only thing she knew to do. She wrapped her arms around Sam and held her as she cried.


	29. Chapter 29

_wooo fast update for you guys! enjoy. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jake knew better than to be in this area of town at this hour. He was a smart kid, a reasonable kid. He knew right from wrong and he listened to what his mother told him and never questioned anything.

But he didn't care anymore.

He wanted to test her. He wanted to check out for himself first hand if anything she told him was worth listening to. Don't throw the football in the house? When he got home, if he got home, he would make sure to throw his baseball around to see if anything tragic would actually happen. Don't play with Lucky's gun? He figured it was damn time he learned how to shoot it. Don't walk downtown after dark?

Well, here he was. And so far, nothing bad had happened.

Don't go near Jason Morgan?

Well, now he supposed he had no reason to.

He continued to walk down the dark street, the crickets chirping loudly the only sound filling the night sky. He reached into the pocket of Cam's black hoodie and felt Lucky's gun. If the street really was as bad as his mother claimed it was, he would protect himself. Just like Jason would.

Jake paused for a moment when he thought he heard the sound of leaves cracking. He held his feet still, and when he heard it again, it confirmed it wasn't coming from his own feet. Chills ran down his spine when the logical side of him realized that this was a stupid idea. Of course this street was dangerous, and testing his mom like this was absolutely insane.

But part of him didn't care. Part of him wanted to prove himself.

He heard another noise, this time closer, and he pulled Lucky's gun out of his pocket and held it out in front of him, his finger on the trigger. "Whoever you are, leave me alone! I've got a gun!" He yelled out.

He suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching him, and he knew he shouldn't stay still anymore. He started walking at a fast pace, his heart beating hard in his chest. He didn't get very far before he felt an arm grab him across the waist and another arm grab the gun out of his hand. "Let me go! My father is Jason Morgan and he'll kill you!"

"Did you just threaten me with myself?" Jake completely relaxed at the sound of Jason's voice. Jason released him and Jake turned to face him. "We've been looking all night for you. One of the Zacchara men got word that you were missing and saw you down here and gave me a call. Which, by the way, means you got lucky. Because not all of the Zacchara men are trustworthy."

"Did mom tell you?" Jake cut to the chase.

Jason let out a deep breath. "What are you doing with a gun? This Lucky's? First of all, I don't think your mother would be happy you have this. Second of all, if you're going to use it to protect yourself, at least turn the safety off before you attempt to fire it."

"The safety?"

"Don't touch the gun again, Jake."

Jake's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me what to do. You're not my father." He knew it was a low blow, but he didn't care about anyone else's feelings at the moment. No one ever cared about his, after all.

Jason sighed. "Jake, this isn't you."

"You know what? You're right." Jake snapped, as he reached for the sweatshirt he was wearing and pulled it off over his head, throwing it to the ground. "It's you. I think black is a stupid color to wear all the time. It's not flattering, and it makes it look like you're trying too hard to be bad ass." Jake ran his hands through his hair, messing up the spikes. "I also think half the time, you look like you got electrocuted and that's why your hair stands up like it does."

"Well, gee, don't hold back, Jake."

"Your bicep is also like the size of my head."

"Anything else?" Jason asked, and Jake didn't say anything. "We need to call your mother and get you home."

"You know, I don't know why I care so much." Jake told him. "Even when you were my father, you weren't my father. This doesn't make anything different. It doesn't even matter."

Jason looked into Jake's eyes. "It does to me."

Tears filled Jake's eyes, and he did his best to blink them back, not wanting to show weakness in front of Jason. "Yeah." He said softly. "It does to me too"

Jason put his hand on Jake's shoulder. "Come on. Let's get you home."

Kristina walked up to the door of her father's house and rang the doorbell. She was greeted by Max, who smiled when he saw her. "Kristina, what a pleasant surprise. Isn't it a bit late for you to be coming over here?"

"I know it's kind of late but I totally forgot the school counselor gave me some more forms to give to Carly for Morgan." Kristina explained, holding up the forms to show Max. "I just know it's important and I don't want to like mess up Morgan's school stuff or anything."

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. C. are in the middle of something right now--"

"Sonny! I can't keep fighting with you about this! You need to work on your priorities!" Kristina suddenly heard Carly yell. She looked up at Max and raised an eyebrow.

"As you can hear for yourself." Max said, finishing his thought. "I can give the forms to Mrs. C. if you want." He suggested.

Kristina shook her head. "Can you just go tell them I'm here? I can wait if I need to."

"My priorities? You mean to you? Not everything is about you, Carly!" Sonny yelled back, startling Kristina.

Max looked over at her. "Are you sure you want me to interrupt that?"

"How about your priorities to Morgan? He needs you, Sonny! Or Kristina! What about her? Or even Lila, let's just add another poor soul into the mix. Why did you even argue for her to stay here? You don't have time for the kid you already have living with you!" Carly continued to yell.

"Don't fight with me about a kid that isn't yours!" Sonny yelled back.

"I've been trying to make this all work for Morgan's sake, Sonny. He needs both of us and he needs something in his life to be stable! But I'm starting to think that this is only making it worse! You are only making this worse!"

Kristina didn't want to listen to anymore. It was a subject she was all to familiar with. She pushed passed Max, ignoring his objections, and made her way into the living room. She cleared her throat to get her dad and step-mom's attentions. "Kristina, when did you get here?" Sonny asked.

"A minute ago. I just wanted to bring some forms for Morgan before I forgot." Kristina told them, handing over the forms to Carly.

Carly smiled at her. "Thank you, Kristina."

"Thanks, Kristina. I appreciate you looking out for your brother." Sonny told her. Kristina smiled at the acknowledgement from her father, but it was cut short when his phone began to ring. "Hold that thought." He said as he answered it. "Sam? Is something wrong?" He asked when he heard her voice on the other end. "Our daughter is where? What do you mean she left? She's upstairs..."

"Sonny, what's going on?" Carly asked him, and he held up a hand as he continued talking to Sam.

"I'm coming to get her. Keep her there." He hung up the phone without saying another word to Sam. Carly and Kristina stared at him, wanting to know what that phone call was about. "Lila left. Apparently she snuck out and made her way to Jason's."

"Jesus, Sonny. See, this is what I'm talking about." Carly snapped at him. "Would you have even noticed?"

"You didn't notice either!" He shot back at her.

"As you pointed out not even five minutes ago, she's not my kid!" Carly fired back. "And I guarantee I would have noticed long before you would have."

Sonny glanced over at Kristina. "Let's not do this in front of my daughter."

Carly let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm going to go check on Morgan and to fill out these forms." She turned to face Kristina. "It was nice seeing you, Kristina." She turned on her heel and left the room.

"Why don't I drop you off at home on my way over to Jason's." Sonny told Kristina when it was just the two of them in the room.

"Yeah. Okay." Kristina replied. "Hey, dad?" She asked.

"What?"

"With J.D. staying here--"

"Lila." Sonny corrected her.

Kristina nodded in acknowledgement. "Right. Lila. Well, with her staying here...and school break in a couple weeks...I was wondering if maybe..." She hesitated.

"Maybe what?" He asked her, sounding too impatient for her liking.

She shook her head. "Never mind." She told him, deciding that it would be easier if he couldn't reject her.

"Let's go. I have places to be." He told her, and she sighed as she followed him out of the house, feeling like nothing more than a burden.

Jason made his way into the penthouse and threw his jacket on his desk chair, too exhausted to do anything else with it. He and Jake hadn't said much to each other on their ride to Elizabeth's house, and when he dropped Jake off, he stood awkwardly to the side as Elizabeth punished Jake for the rest of his life. Jake didn't listen much, he stormed to his room and slammed the door, and Jason took Elizabeth and Lucky's fighting as cue to get out of there.

He turned to head over to the couch and practically jumped when he realized J.D. was standing there in front of him. "Jesus Christ, how long were you standing there?" It still amazed him how quiet she could be.

"Since you walked in." She told him.

"Okay, well, what're you doing here?" He asked her. "Did Sonny bring you by?"

She paused. "No."

"You ran away." He didn't ask it, he knew the answer. She didn't respond, and he felt both fear and anger rise in his body at the thought of her being alone the whole way from Sonny's to here. It wasn't safe. She wasn't safe. And that didn't sit well with him. "Are you crazy? You were out there alone! Manny is still out there, and you know that! What were you thinking!" His sudden outburst startled her, and she didn't know what to say. He calmed down when he realized he scared her. "I'm sorry. I just...I don't want you hurt. Don't you want to be safe?"

"Yes. I do." J.D. agreed with him. "I didn't feel safe at Sonny's. I couldn't sleep. I sleep better here. You make me feel safe."

Jason's heart warmed, and he remembered a time when Sam said nearly the same thing.

"It's late. Why don't you go get into bed and I'll call Sonny and let him know you're here." Jason told her.

"Sam already called him. He knows. I think he's on his way to get me." She looked nervously at the floor.

"Sam called? Sam knows you're here?" He asked, surprised.

"She's asleep now. She was upset when I got here. I don't know what happened." J.D. explained to him. "She called Sonny and then I knew she was upset and sad and everything, so I got her to go to sleep."

"Is Spinelli here?"

J.D. shook her head. "No. I guess he's at Maxie's."

Jason sighed. "Okay. I'm gonna go check on Sam, and let me deal with Sonny. You just go up and into bed, okay?" She slowly nodded her head. "Do you need anything? A glass of water? Hot milk?"

J.D. smiled. "No, but thank you."

"No problem."

She headed up the stairs, but paused and turned around to face him. "Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"I..." She paused, not exactly knowing how to say the words. "Sam, too. I just don't know what to do."

Jason smiled. "Me too. And right now, you just go get some sleep."

She nodded her head and made her way into the spare bedroom.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sonny's number. "Sonny? It's Jason. Look, it's late, why don't you let Lila just spend the night here, and we can talk about this tomorrow?" He reasoned. Sonny debated him a bit on the other end, but eventually agreed, deciding that once he left Alexis' house from dropping off Kristina, he would just head home and call Jason back in the morning.

Now that he had taken care of that, there was one thing on his mind: Sam. J.D. had said she was upset, and that pained him to think about. He made his way up the stairs and into his bedroom, where she was sprawled out on the bed. She stirred as he entered the room, and opened her eyes as he sat down on the bed. They were red and puffy and he hated seeing her like that. "Hey."

"Hey." She replied, her voice raspy from crying. "Did Sonny come get Lila? I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"He's going to call in the morning. She's in her room sleeping."

Sam nodded her head. "I like that she's here. I hate that she was out alone. And I hate that she saw me like I was."

"And how exactly were you, Sam?" He asked her, using his hand to brush the hair out of her face.

She bit her lip. "I broke down after you left, Jason." She looked away from him.

"Because of me? Was it something I did?" He asked, concerned.

"Because of Jake. Because of Lila. Because of all of it."

"You aren't happy that Jake isn't mine?" He asked, and the moment he let it slip out, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. It was a stupid question to ask, and he knew that Sam would never be happy at his son being ripped away from him. "Wait, I didn't--"

She sat up, her eyes wide. "You think I'd be happy about that? Jason, I care so much about you, don't you get that? I know this has to kill you. You never even got a chance to have a relationship with Jake when we all thought he was your son, and that kills me because I care about you."

"I didn't mean it like that Sam, it's just--"

"It's just I watched him get kidnapped, he's the reason you lied to me before we broke up way back when, and I hired thugs to try and trick Elizabeth into keeping the boys away from you?" She snapped.

Jason stared at her. They never talked about this. This was bad territory and something he didn't think they would ever mention. But maybe they both needed to get some of it out. "Yeah." He simply replied.

That took her by surprise. "That's all you're going to say? Yeah?"

"I know you're sorry, Sam. And I know that for everything that I did...everything I said back then...I'm sorry, too."

"I don't even recognize that woman anymore. That's not...me."

"It never was. And I know that now. And I hope that you know I feel the same way about who I was."

Sam bit her lip as a few tears fell down her face. "I feel like this is God's way of punishing me. My daughter was taken from me, and she didn't even die. It was all a lie. And everything that happened with Jake...that didn't need to happen either, if only the first paternity test was right."

"Or maybe it's God's way of finally punishing me." Jason countered, and Sam looked at him curiously. "Emily and Michael...I still think their deaths were a punishment for me. And now my son being taken away from me? I know I didn't have a relationship with Jake but...it still hurts like hell. And, God, I held Lila. I held her in my arms and I should have known she was alive. I should have been able to tell. And now I get to live with the guilt that I wasn't able to save her then. And I'll never forgive myself for hurting you like I did back then. Losing you was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me."

"Losing you is pretty high on my list, too." She brought a hand to her mouth as she tried her best to suppress a sob. Jason got closer to her in the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I feel so broken, Jason. And I don't want to feel this way anymore. I have my daughter back, and I want to start putting the pieces back together."

"I want to help you, Sam."

She looked up into his eyes. "Good. Because you and I, we're one of the pieces I want back together."

Jason leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. "Good." He replied, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back harder. He pulled back for a second to look into her eyes.

"Jason, I want this." She said, reassuring him. He leaned in and devoured her with a kiss.

He lifted off her shirt as she lifted off his, and looking into her eyes, he smiled. "I love you, Sam. Let's forget about everything else tonight, all the drama. Tonight, it's just you and me."

She nodded in agreement as tears filled her eyes as she looked back up at him. "I love you, too."


	30. Chapter 30

_Enjoy the update, guys! It's nice and long for ya. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jason woke up with a familiar warm feeling. He moved his hand and felt the body next to him, snuggling closer into him, and he remembered. He and Sam had made love the night before. After becoming official yet again.

After everything, after all of the pain and mistakes they had made in the past, they had found their way back together. First as partners, then as friends, and finally as lovers, right back where they belonged. Wrapping his arms around her tighter, he still couldn't believe it was true.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, a smile immediately forming on her face. "Hey you." Her voice was groggy, but to him it was sexy as hell, and he bent his head down to place a kiss on her lips.

"Good morning." He responded to her. "You hungry? I can go make us some breakfast."

Sam moved in closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "No. Can we just lie here for a little while? I like being here."

Jason smiled. "Sure." He liked being there, too.

They were quiet for a moment, enjoying each other's company. Being in each other's arms. Their peace was disturbed when there was suddenly a soft knock on their bedroom door. Jason sat up in bed. "Who's there?" If it was Spinelli, he was going to kill him.

Not a sound came from the other side of the door, and when Jason started to get up out of the bed, Sam stopped him. "It's Lila." She told him. "You can come in." She called towards the door.

The door slowly opened and J.D. made her way. She stood their awkwardly for a moment, fidgeting as she did. "What's up? Anything wrong?" Jason asked her.

She shook her head in response. "Hey, you can talk to us. You don't have to be afraid or quiet around us." Sam told her, liking her hear her daughter's voice.

"I wanted to know. If Sonny was going to come get me." She admitted.

Sam looked over at Jason. "I told Sonny I'd call him. I figured we would talk to you first. It's dangerous out there for you right now, I can't have you running away from wherever you are. So you need to tell me right now if you want to go back to Sonny's. If you don't, no one is going to force you to."

"Sonny will." J.D. responded.

"You leave Sonny to me." Jason told her. "Do you want to stay here?"

J.D. looked over at Sam, making eye contact. Sam looked hopeful, J.D. could see it in her eyes. She didn't want to hurt Sam. Did she want to stay there? She wasn't sure. She wanted to feel safe, and she did under their roof. And she wanted to get to know Sam, she did. But she was still, no matter how hard she tried not to be, scared. "I...I don't want to go back to Sonny's." She answered.

Jason nodded, knowing that meant she wasn't completely sold on staying with them, either. He climbed out of the bed. "We'll figure everything out, okay. Let me worry about Sonny. You just relax." He turned to face Sam. "I'm going to go make us some breakfast. Just come down when you're ready." He leaned down and kissed her, making his way out of the bedroom door.

J.D. kept her spot awkwardly at the door as she watched Sam, who was still in the bed. "You and Jason." J.D. opened with.

Sam smiled. "Yeah. We got back together last night."

"Cool." Was all J.D. could think to respond.

Sam patted the bed next to her. "Come sit down. I think we're over due for a chat."

J.D. made her way over to the bed and hesitantly sat down. "Are you okay, Sam?"

Sam smiled wider. "It's nice to hear your voice." J.D. looked away sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I freaked you out last night. I didn't mean to lose it like I did." It was Sam's turn to look away.

"I just want to know if you're okay, Sam. You don't need to say you're sorry."

"Yes I do. For a lot of things." Sam told her, and J.D. watched her carefully to see what she would say next. "I just...I don't want to let you down anymore. I'm not going to let you down anymore." Sam could tell that J.D. was starting to feel uncomfortable with the conversation. "I want to get to know you. I want to try, here. The question is, do you? I don't want to push you into anything."

J.D. nodded her head. "I do. I want to get to know you, too."

"Okay. So we'll do that. We'll get to know each other." Sam sat up in the bed.

"How do we do that?"

"Well," Sam began, "we could start off asking each other questions. You can ask a question, then I'll ask a question, and we'll take it from there?" Sam suggested. J.D. just shrugged in response.

"Okay. You first."

Sam brought her hand to her chin, giving her best inquisitive look as she figured out her first question. "Okay...what's your favorite color? Assuming you have one, that is." Sam randomly asked. She figured she would start slow. Easy.

"Yellow." J.D. answered. "I like yellow."

"Yeah? Yellow's a pretty color. A bit bright. But I do love the sun, and yellow is the color of the sun." Sam rambled. "You should see the sun from Hawaii. Probably the most beautiful I've ever seen it. Maybe we'll go some day."

J.D. smiled at the thought that Sam was rambling because she was nervous. "It wasn't very colorful where I used to be. In Manny's basement. But sometimes when it would get warm flowers would grow out of the cracks on the ground. These yellow ones. Manny said they were weeds, but I liked them. But they didn't last long. They'd turn grey and the pedals would fly away."

Sam swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at the memory J.D. held from Manny's. She wondered if she would ever ask J.D. to tell her everything that had happened. She wanted to know, she wanted to protect her daughter and help her through it all. But at the same time, she didn't want to know. Not ever. "Dandelion. Those were Dandelions."

"Dandelion." J.D. repeated. "I liked those."

"Your turn."

J.D. paused to think for a moment. "What...what happened back then?" J.D. asked. "When I was born. What happened?"

"Lila..."

"Samantha..." J.D. fired back.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "It's Sam."

J.D. gave her a small smirk. "It's J.D. For now."

"Point taken." Sam smiled, and then pointed a finger. "For now."

J.D. took in a deep breath. "I know what actually happened. I heard Manny. I get all that. But I want to know...your story. What happened back then. To you."

"You want to know..." Sam took in a deep breath, "about your..."

"Death? Yeah."

Sam slowly nodded her head. It wasn't something she liked to talk about. It wasn't something she even liked to remember. But if her daughter wanted to know, she deserved to know. She took in another deep breath. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Were you and Sonny in love?"

Sam's eyes widened. "You want to go back that far?"

"I want to know everything." J.D. told her. "If that's okay."

Sam took a couple more breaths. She owed J.D. this much. "I thought we were. I mean, I thought I loved him. But I wouldn't know real love until later. Sonny and I met at a time when he and Carly weren't quite together. But then they decided they wanted to try again, and I became pregnant. And I didn't really want to be in the way of their marriage, I mean, don't get me wrong, I wanted Sonny to love me, but Carly had the two boys and I just...I never wanted to be a home wrecker." She paused to see how J.D. was reacting so far, but J.D. just sat there listening intently, not making a face or a sound. "Anyway, Jason, to help Sonny and Carly mend their marriage, agreed to have me move in with him. And my baby...you..." Sam paused. She wondered how much of this she should tell J.D.

"Sonny was never going to be my father, was he." She asked as more of a statement than a question.

"Jason was going to be your father in every way that counts."

J.D. just nodded her head, taking it all in. "Then what?"

Skipping the parts where she ran away and all of that mess, Sam continued. "There were complications when you were born. Alexis, now this was before I knew she was my mother, we can talk about that another time, but she was desperate. Kristina was really sick and needed stem cells. So Alexis and Sonny asked if I would induce the labor early so they could give Kristina the cells. I said no, I couldn't risk it. I didn't want to risk any harm to the baby...to you. I told them when she was born they could take the stem cells, but I didn't want to induce the labor."

"Then what?" J.D. asked, urging Sam to keep going.

"Alexis tried to convince me to do it, and I ended up collapsing. When I woke up, I was in the hospital, Jason besides me. I knew right away...I could feel that you weren't there anymore. And I looked up at Jason...and I could see it in his eyes." Tears filled Sam's eyes as she continued. "And then he told me my baby had died, and I remember being so...angry. I didn't want to believe it. I think I even hit him a bit, and then the nurse must have given me a sedative, because I remember sleeping. The next thing I remember is going to where the nursery is to look for you...Jason found me. He told me you weren't there, that you had died, and he held me in his arms as I broke down..." Sam couldn't continue, she began to cry.

J.D. climbed across the bed and wrapped her arms around Sam. "I'm right here."

"If I knew...I would have done anything to get you back..." Sam said in between her sobs.

"I know that now."

"I'm so sorry. I don't even know how I could make what happened to you right. I'm so sorry."

"I know that now, too." J.D. told her. "I want to get to know you, Sam. I want to be here with you, I do. I'm just..."

"You're scared." Sam answered for her, sitting up and wiping the tears from her eyes. "And I understand that, I do. But you need to know that I am here for you, and I'm not going anywhere. I will never let anything happen to you and I will love you until the day I die, and nothing can change that. I won't push you into anything, I know that you have a lot to get used to. I'll give you space. I just...I want what's best for you. And selfishly, I want the opportunity to be your mother."

"Okay."

Sam smiled. "Okay. I love you, Lila. Even if for right now you need to be J.D."

J.D. nodded. She wanted to tell Sam she loved her, too, but she wasn't ready. Not yet. "Sam? J.D.? Come on, your food's going to get cold!" Jason called from downstairs.

"Well, we better go eat. I bet you're starving." Sam said with a smile, getting up from the bed and holding out her hand for J.D. to take. J.D. nodded her head, taking Sam's hand as she lead her out the bedroom door.

It was early, the school day had barely started, and there Jake was already. In the principle's office.

He sat outside as Lucky talked with the principle, and when Lucky came out of the office, he immediately stood up, waiting for Lucky to yell and punish him. He didn't really like getting in trouble. He actually hated it.

"Come on. Mr. Harding thinks it'll be best if you spend the rest of the day at home." Lucky simply said, and Jake followed him out of the school.

They drove in silence mostly, before Lucky decided to ask Jake what had happened. "I get a call at work from your principle, Jake? When they told me they had Jake Spencer in their office, I told them they made a mistake and meant to say Cameron Spencer. What is going on, buddy? What happened? You hit someone?"

"Jamie Hesler was talking about Jason." Jake told him, and he could see Lucky tense up. "Saying that he was a no good gangster and that he deserved to get sent to the electric chair. So I punched him."

"Jake, I think we need to talk about Jason."

"He's not my dad. We already talked about that. Once with mom, once with you and mom, and even once with Jason the other day. I get it, okay?" Jake told his now biological father.

Lucky shook his head. "That's not what I mean, Jake. I know this isn't easy for you, but you need to stop acting out. It's only going to hurt you more, okay? I know that this sucks, buddy. And I know that you and Jason never had the kind of relationship you wanted and now you feel like that chance is gone."

"No. That chance doesn't matter anymore."

"Jake, you believed Jason was your father for thirteen years of your life. That's not something you can just turn off. I get that. I get that you're confused and hurt. But you need to stop acting out. It's not going to help anything. It's not going to fix anything." Lucky tried to tell him.

"I know I just...just forget it." Jake snapped at him, turning to look out the window.

"Jake, don't shut me out." Lucky tried. "You can talk to me. You know that, right?"

Jake looked over at Lucky and for the first time saw the desperation in his father's eyes. Jake immediately softened. "I am happy that you are my dad. I don't think I told you that. But I really am."

Lucky couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. He looked for a moment like he was shining. "I'm happy, too, buddy."

When the lunch bell rang, Kristina made her way through the cafeteria looking for Cam. She found him sitting too close to another girl for her liking, and she didn't feel bad butting in and interrupting their conversation. "Cam, can we talk?"

"I'm kind of in the middle of something." He motioned to the girl next to him.

"It's important." She gritted her teeth. He was doing this on purpose. "Please."

Cam knew from the moment she approached him that she really wanted to talk, and though he would play hard to get for a second, he would have happily ditched the slutty girl who wouldn't leave him alone since lunch had started. "Yeah, okay. Let's go into the hallway."

They made their way passed the crowds and into the empty hallway, and Cam waited for Kristina to speak. "So everything's fucked up, and I figured since I heard your family has been a little fucked up lately, too, you'd understand."

"My family is fine." Cam snapped back, getting defensive.

"Cam..."

"Okay so maybe my little brother has kind of snapped. I mean, I kind of expected he would eventually. He was always just...to good. And I mean, he is my brother after all." Cam rambled. "And then my mom and dad have been fighting a lot more lately. And don't get me wrong, I'm used to it, they've been on and off for years, but I don't know. It's been different lately. I guess I usually wonder why Lucky even puts up with her, my mom isn't the easiest person to get along with. But then I figure it's because he likes being dad to the one night stand boys, and he's probably afraid we'd take mom's side. I don't know that I would."

"Cam, you're rambling."

"I guess you heard Jake isn't Jason's kid after all, huh? He's taking it pretty hard."

"Yeah. I heard." She told him. "But it's for the best. Trust me. Being the town mobster's kid isn't anything worth wanting. He's lucky he doesn't have to be anymore."

Cam looked at her curiously. "I know you have daddy issues, Krissy, but I also know you love your dad so much you do stupid shit like Jake's been doing lately. So what's really going on? What'd Sonny Corinthos do now?"

"He's got a new daughter."

"Yeah. Janie. I'm the one who told you that, remember?"

"Yeah well, he already loves her more than me. He asked her to move in. No, he fought for her to move in."

"So you're jealous."

She glared at him. "Fuck you, Cam."

Cam rolled his eyes. "I'd understand why you'd be jealous, Krissy, but you're better than that. You're better than Sonny Corinthos. And Jake is better than Jason Morgan. I hope one of these days both of you realize that."

"I know that. I do. My mom tells me all the time. And when Michael's banquet dinner comes around every year, I'm reminded of why it's best that I stay away. But still I'm..."

"Jealous." Cam finished for her. She glared at him again. "Look, Krissy, about Michael's banquet. My family usually goes every year, since the hospital staff is all invited. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go together."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Like a date?"

"Like someone to hang out with who won't make me want to stab my eyes out with a fork." Cam smirked.

Kristina laughed. "Okay. Deal. Pick me up at 8." She turned to walk away.

"Okay. I will." He said, as he watched her leave.

At the penthouse, Sam, Jason, and J.D. sat staring at the T.V. None of them knew what they were watching, just that it was in another language and that the T.V. remote was no where to be found. "I think that girl slept with the other girl's husband, and that the husband turned out to be that other guy's half brother? Maybe?" Sam commented.

Both J.D. and Jason turned to stare at her. "How on earth did you figure any of that out?"

"I think I just made it all up. I haven't a clue." Sam answered with a laugh.

"I'm getting up and turning the damn T.V. off." Jason said, and as he stood up to do so, there was a knock at the door. He shrugged and made his way over to it, opening it. He was surprised to come face to face with Sonny on the other end.

"I'm here for Lila." He looked over at the couch where she was sat. "You, come on. Let's go."

Jason stared at Sonny. "I thought I told you I would call you. Sonny, she doesn't want to go home with you. We can't have her running away again. It's dangerous out there for her."

"I won't let her run away again. I'll put more guards on her. She's my daughter, and she's coming home with me."

"Sonny, she's my daughter, too." Sam stood up, making her way over to him.

"You agreed to let her stay with me." Sonny argued.

Sam scoffed at him. "I had just got discharged from the hospital from being in shock, Sonny. She's staying here."

"Knock it off, Sam. She's not safe here with you. She'll be safe with me. She's my daughter, and I deserve to get to know her. So does Morgan. I have my son to think about, too." Sonny argued.

"And Morgan and Lila are free to spend as much time with each other as they want. And you can see her whenever you want. I'm not holding her prisoner, Sonny. But I'm not giving her up easily this time. You don't want her in your house because you love her. You want her in your house because she's a possession to you. Just like Morgan and just like Kristina." Sam yelled at him.

Sonny had to hold himself back from backhanding Sam across the face. Especially not with Jason in the room. Instead, he took a threatening step towards her, coming inches away from her face. She didn't back down. "Don't you ever speak a word about my love for my children like that again, do you understand me?"

"I'm not some child you can reprimand, Sonny." Sam kept her stance. "I am the mother of your child, a child who I grieved for...for over sixteen years. And now I have her back and you want to rip her away from me because you're possessive. I'm not letting that happen."

"I'm possessive? Well, you're a selfish bitch!" Sonny yelled at her.

"Okay, that's enough." Jason spoke up loudly pulling J.D. up off the couch and ushering her out the door. "You go tell Max outside that I want him to drive you over to Alexis'. You can hang out with Kristina for a bit, someone will pick you up later. We're not doing this in front of you." He said, and before she could say anything, he pushed her out the door. "As for you two, Sonny, you need to take a step back from Sam right now. And the two of you need to work together and figure out the best solution for Lila."

Sonny and Sam glared at each other, not knowing how this argument was going to end.

J.D. made her way up to Alexis' front door and knocked softly. She didn't really want to be here. She wanted to be back at the penthouse helping fight her cause, but she knew that was pointless. No one in that room was asking what she wanted or for her opinion. Not at that moment, anyway.

The door opened and Alexis stood there, surprised to see J.D. "Well, hi. What brings you here?"

"Jason had Max bring me over. Sonny and Sam were fighting."

"Well, come in." Alexis said and stood aside so J.D. could enter the home. "You and I haven't really had a moment to talk." Oh, great, J.D. thought. She really wasn't in the mood for another chat. "I guess I'm your grandmother, though please don't ever call me that, I don't need a reason to feel older than I already am."

"Okay." J.D. responded.

Alexis took a good look at her. "You look so much like Kristina. And Sam for that matter." She commented. It was a wonder that they didn't put the pieces together sooner based on that fact alone. "But I can see I'm making you uncomfortable. Kristina's in her room upstairs, why don't you go ahead up there."

"Thanks." J.D. said, and scurried up the stairs in search of Kristina.

She found Kristina in her room, and when she knocked on the door and Kristina looked up, she saw something in Kristina's eyes immediately change. They narrowed and she did not look happy to see J.D. there. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at dad's?"

"I was at Jason's. Sonny and Sam were fighting. They sent me here."

"Was dad pleading your case again? Are you going to be going to baseball games with him next? He giving you money for new dresses yet? Don't get used to it. It won't last." Kristina snapped, and J.D. just stared at her.

"I didn't...are you mad at me?" J.D. asked her.

Kristina stood up and walked over to her. She was mad, and she had Cam's voice floating around in her head telling her that she was just jealous, and all reasoning told her she shouldn't take it out on J.D., but she just couldn't help it. "You're Sonny Corinthos' new favorite kid. Enjoy it while it lasts. Now can you just leave? I'm busy. I have homework to do."

J.D. didn't know what to say. Kristina was her friend, and suddenly it seemed as though they were enemies. "My stem cells saved your life." J.D. said, grasping at straws. She wanted Kristina to remember that they were connected. That they were sisters.

"So I owe you, is that what you're saying?" Kristina snapped.

"No, no that's not what I--" J.D. was at a loss. "I just don't understand why you're so mad at me. I didn't ask for any of this."

"J.D., you should just go."

And not wanting to argue with Kristina anymore, she did.

With her luck, she half expected Manny to just jump out and take her on her walk back to the penthouse, but she made the walk fine, and stood outside of Jason's door, her hand on the doorknob, wondering if she really wanted to go back inside.

She could hear Sam and Sonny's voices, occasionally Jason's, as they continued to argue. "You don't want what's best for Lila. You want what's best for you!"

"Or what's best for you, Jason? You still want the father position in her life, things changed!"

She didn't want to hear any of it, but she didn't know where else to go. She knew just walking from Alexis' to there was dangerous enough, she couldn't risk going back out there.

Not knowing what to do, she leaned up against the wall and sat on the floor, putting her head in her hands as she waited for it to stop. She heard the elevator, and turned to look to find Spinelli making his way over. "Young Theif! You look in peril, is something wrong?" He asked her, and before she could answer, another round of screaming came from Jason's. "Oh." Was all Spinelli said.

"They've been at it for a while. They're fighting about where I should stay."

Spinelli sat down next to J.D. "If the Jackal may, where does The Young Thief wish to stay?"

"Not at Sonny's. I guess here. I want to get to know Sam. And I like being with Jason. But I don't know. Everything is different now. I wish they didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

"Who I was. It was better before. I finally had a home. I had friends. Now I don't know where my home is. Everyone is acting weird around me. Kristina is mad at me. It's just...different now." J.D. explained to him.

Spinelli looked over towards the door where the yelling could still be heard. "The Jackal must express to you that they are only fighting out of love and concern." J.D. didn't respond. "What can I do to help?"

"Can you take me over to Maxie's? Until they stop fighting?"

Spinellli nodded his head. "Sure, let me just tell Stone Cold--"

"Call on the way. Don't interrupt that."

Spinelli agreed. He didn't want to interrupt it either. "Okay, then. Let us depart."

Sonny, Jason, and Sam couldn't deal with arguing anymore. They were getting no where. They all stood in the penthouse staring at each other, waiting for someone to say the next thing that would be debated, argued, and thrown away. Before the next argument could be made, Jason's phone rang. "Morgan." He said answering it, happy for the distraction.

"Stone Cold, it is I, the Jackal."

"What do you want, Spinelli." He didn't really have the patience at the moment.

"I have taken the Young Thief over to Maximista's place upon her request. And if The Jackal may be so bold, the next time the three parentals argue on behalf of the Young Thief, I do suggest you make sure she isn't sitting outside eavesdropping."

Jason sighed. "Alright. Spinelli, ask Maxie to keep her there. I'll call her later."

"Will do, Stone Cold."

He hung up the phone and Sonny and Sam looked at him, waiting for him to tell them what the phone call was all about. "That was Spinelli. J.D. had him take her over to Maxie's. I think our best bet right now would be letting her just spend the night there for now. I'm going to send guards over."

"You're sending her to Maxie's place? You think that's better than my place? This is getting ridiculous." Sonny laughed.

"Sonny, I think you best just leave. We aren't going to come to an agreement. She's spending the night at Maxie's, and we're taking her back here tomorrow. If you want to fight me, you're going to have to do it in court." Sam told him firmly.

Sonny's eyes narrowed at her. "Fine. If that's how you want to play, fine." He turned and stormed out of the penthouse, and Sam finally gave into her nerves and sunk down onto the couch.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Jason said, by her side in an instant.

"I'm on good terms with my daughter, Jason, and I'm not going to let Sonny swoop in and take her away from me. No way in hell."

"I know. And I also know that she doesn't want to go with him. She ran here, Sam. She left Sonny's and ran to us, okay?"

Sam nodded her head. "I know. I just wish...it's complicated enough. Can't the rest just be easy?"

Jason placed a kiss on her forehead. For Sam's sake, he wished it could be.


	31. Chapter 31

_I always feel so accomplished when i get an update done for you guys! i hope you enjoy. this was going to have the banquet dinner in it, also, but then i realized that it would get way too long, so i cut it in half. which is good, because you'll get the next update fairly quickly since its already mostly written. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Morning came, and Jason awoken to find the other side of the bed already cold, Sam no where to be found. Worry settled in his body, and he leaped out of the bed, throwing his jeans on, as he made his way quickly down stairs.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sam sitting on the couch, a photo album in her lap, her eyes every few seconds drifting over to the phone. "Sam, you okay?" He asked her, and she jumped a bit at the sound of his voice. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I wasn't in bed when you woke up. I just couldn't sleep this morning so I just gave up and came down here." She told him. He made his way over to her, sitting down next to her on the couch. "I'm just going through some really old pictures of when Michael and Morgan were young and we were together the first time around."

Jason took a picture from her hand, one of Michael and Sam wrapped in each other's arms. At the time, they were the two most important people in Jason's life, and for a moment, he let himself wallow in self pity and all he had lost during the years.

She placed a hand on his thigh, a comforting movement, and when he looked into his eyes she smiled at him. At least he had her back now.

"I know I wasn't really around much when Michael was shot, Jason. But I do miss him." She told him, taking his hand in hers. "I can't believe it's been so long."

"It feels like yesterday." Jason agreed with her. "I miss him, too. Every day." They paused for a moment, looking at a few more pictures in silence. "You know, Michael's annual banquet dinner is tonight. To raise money for his foundation. I don't usually go, when I do it's a brief appearance for Carly's sake. I mean, I always give his foundation money, the dinner really just isn't my thing."

Sam smiled, moving closer to him and linking her arm in his. "If I had a quarter for every time I tried to get you out at a fancy dinner, I'd be a rich woman." She commented.

"I'd like to go this year." He said, and she raised an eyebrow. "But only if you'll go with me."

She smiled, but it faded a bit as she looked over towards the phone. "You know, Michael would have loved Lila. And she would have loved him. I'm not saying I would force her into it or anything, but she should be there tonight."

"I'm sure Carly invited her."

Sam nodded her head. "You think she's okay at Maxie's? You think she had an okay night? I mean, don't get me wrong I trust Maxie, and I know you sent guards over there, I just feel like I shouldn't have made her feel like she needed to leave last night."

"I'm the one who sent her to Alexis'. I don't know how she ended up from there over to Maxie's, but she needed to not be here for that last night. You know that." Jason tried to ease Sam's mind.

"I do know that. But I also know that Sonny and I shouldn't be arguing like this. It's childish."

"Of Sonny." Jason corrected her. "You were just sticking up for your rights."

Sam let out a sigh and paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I don't want to crowd her. And I know crowding isn't your style at all. So maybe..."

"You want me to go check on her?" Jason finished her question for her. Sam smiled sheepishly, and Jason leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I have a few errands to run for work. I'll stop at Maxie's on my way back home."

"Thank you." Sam told him sincerely. "I just don't want to push her away but being too eager to be in her life. I know how it was for you with the Quartermaines back when you had your accident."

"You aren't the Quartermaines, Sam. I'll be sure to let Lila know that you have her best interest at heart." Jason told her. "I'm going to get going though, I want to get home with enough time to get dressed and ready for the dinner tonight."

Sam's eyes light up. "Does that mean you're going to actually wear a suit and tie! That so excites me."

"It'll excite me more when I finally get to take it off at the end of the night." Jason said, rolling his eyes at her.

Sam smirked. "That excites me, too."

He smiled and leaned down to capture her lips in his, she kissed him back and he knew that if they kept at this any longer, he wouldn't ever leave the penthouse. "Okay, I really need to be going. We'll finish this conversation later."

"I look forward to it." Sam replied in a voice that made his entire body ache for her.

He smiled back at her as he made his way out the door.

J.D. was awoken by a scream. Jumping out of bed and running into Maxie's room, she found Maxie wrapped in a towel running around her room. "What happened? What's going on!" She yelled at her screaming friend.

"There was a huge, and I mean huge, spider in the shower! It was the grossest thing ever!" Maxie yelled, still jumping around. J.D. stared at her for a moment before she burst out laughing. "It's not funny! It was so big it could have probably eaten me!"

"Well, it didn't." J.D. pointed out.

Maxie glared at her. "Only because I flushed it before I had the chance. Now let me get dressed and then you and I can talk about your little jumping from place to place habit, you nomad."

"What's a nomad?" J.D. asked her.

"Just...turn around we'll talk as I get dressed." Maxie said, and J.D. did as she was told. "So what brings you here, anyway? I let it go last night cause you had that lost puppy look going on kind of like when we first found you except a little less 'I'm going to steal from you' and a little more 'please let me sleep here'. But now you get to start explaining."

"I was at Jason's. Sam and I talked. It was going well, it was. And...and you were right, you know? Sam does care, she does. And I want to get to know her. But then Sonny showed up and they started arguing about me." She began to explain.

"So what? You ran here because they were having a fight?" Maxie asked her.

J.D. shook her head. "No. I mean, I wanted to."

"Because you run when you get scared." Maxie pointed out. "Nomad."

"But Jason sent me to Alexis'. Which wasn't so bad, Kristina is my friend. And my sister I guess."

"And your aunt." Maxie said, and J.D. stared at her for a minute. "That's kind of strange, I won't mention that again. So go on. What happened."

"Kristina yelled at me." J.D. told her. "I don't know. Every thing is changing at I hate it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like this much better than before. With Manny. I'll take this over that, and I'm grateful for what I have now. But I uprooted everything and everyone. Which is why I kept my mouth shut to begin with."

Maxie gave her a sympathetic look. "Two things. One, you need to ignore Kristina. She's a bratty teenager most days who's attention issues are so bad, I'm surprised she hasn't self destructed yet. And two, stop worrying about everyone else. Worry about yourself. And who you are. And what you want."

"But what about Sam and Sonny and--"

"What you want, J.D. What is it?" Maxie interrupted her. "Ignore everyone else for a second. When you ran away from Manny Ruiz what were you running to?"

J.D. lowered her eyes to think for a moment. "Sam. I ran to find Sam. And I used you and Spinelli to find her. I tricked you into taking me to her. I wanted to find Sam."

"And you found her. And now that your secret is out, now that everyone knows who you are, what do you want?" Maxie asked her again. "Really, it's that simple. So tell me, what do you want now? Do you want to stay with me? Because just tell me and I can totally arrange that. Spinelli and I will just be quiet the nights he stays here. Do you want to stay with Jason and Sam? Then do it. Sonny? I won't approve, but fine. Your choice. So which is it? What do you want to do?"

"Stop asking me that." J.D. said, raising her voice a bit.

"Not until you answer it, so shoot."

J.D. stopped to think about it. "I want to go to Michael's benefit dinner tonight."

"Michael Corinthos? Spinelli mentioned that to me. He invited me to go with him. I think it's an invitation only kind of dinner though, J.D." Maxie told her.

"Carly invited me. Michael was, I guess, my brother."

"Right. Forgot about that." Maxie told her. "Okay, so we'll go to the dinner tonight. We'll get you all dressed up and everything. It'll be fun. Then what?"

"Then..." J.D. took in a deep breath. "I want to go home with Jason and Sam."

Maxie smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Despite everything, Sam was excited for the banquet dinner tonight. She had gone, with guards despite her begging them to leave her be, to her place to pick out a dress and to get the rest of her makeup and jewelry, and had gone back to the penthouse to begin getting ready.

She enjoyed getting dressed up. She enjoyed fancy dinners. She enjoyed dancing. She enjoyed being with Jason. And despite everything, she was gung ho on enjoying the night.

She was about to undress to get into the shower, when she head a knock at the penthouse door. Figuring the shower could wait a few more minutes, she went down to answer it, surprised to see Jake Spencer standing on the other side. "Jake? Wasn't expecting to see you, come in."

"Hi, uh, is Jason here?" He asked, keeping his spot at the door.

"No. But he should be soon if you want to come in and wait for him." Sam said with a warm smile.

Jake still didn't move from his spot. "I'd rather not be in a house alone with you." He snapped at her, and she stared at him.

"Jake...what's that supposed to mean?" She asked him.

"You don't have the best track records with kids is all I'm saying." He said, his eyes narrowed.

Sam continued to stare at him. She didn't even know who this kid standing in front of her was. It wasn't the little boy she spent so much time with when she was dating Lucky. It wasn't the timid boy she watched grow up into a shy awkward kid who wanted to get to know his father.

And what he said had hurt her, but she didn't want to show him that. She turned around and walked towards the couch, not knowing what to say next.

Jake couldn't believe what he had heard himself say. And he wouldn't have blamed Sam if she decided to slap him for it. But she didn't. And he watched her turn and retreat into the penthouse livingroom, and he followed her. "Sam, I'm sorry...I didn't mean..."

"I owe you an apology, Jake." She said, turning to face him. "And now that you're old enough, I think it's about time I gave it to you."

"Sam, really, what happened...it was so long ago. And I'm fine. And really, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Besides, you helped me a lot growing up, you more than made up for it. Really, please. I'm sorry." He honestly felt bad, and looking back at him, she could see the boy she knew again as his eyes softened.

"I fell apart, Jake, back then. And because of it, you could have gotten seriously hurt. And I apologize. You have no idea how sorry I am for that. Still. Even after all this time." Sam explained to him.

"I ruined your life first." Jake said quietly.

Sam nearly lost her footing. "What did you just say?"

"I've heard things growing up. I know when I was born you were with Jason. And I know how it all went to hell. I never blamed you for anything, Sam. Though I know my mom is still bitter with you for a lot of things, watching me get kidnapped probably top of that list, I never did. Because I knew my existence ruined your life first. I always thought we were even." Jake shrugged. "It must suck for you that I'm not even Jason's kid, huh?"

Sam stared at him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to respond to this boy who was obviously hurting so much. "Yeah, it hurt. But probably not anywhere near as much as it hurts for you. And, Jake, you never ruined my life. Your existence is important to me, I care about you. I cared about you when I was with Lucky, and I still care about you now. And yeah, things went to hell back when you were born, but that had nothing to do with you. It had to do with the four of us adults and the choices we made. And I'm sorry you got brought into such a negative environment at the time. And I think you're a kid that carries around way to much guilt and the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"The other day Cam was telling me how J.D. is your daughter. And we talked about how lost she seemed. And she should be, she lived her life with some guy who kidnapped her and now is here and doesn't really know what's going on or who to trust or who is her family. She had nothing, you know? And now she's lucky enough to have everything, but it's still all hard for her. And I don't know why, because I mean, I have a family. I have friends and I have a lot of people in my life who I have and I trust. But I feel just as lost and alone as she does." Jake explained to Sam. "And I don't know why that is."

"You and my Lila both just had life changing moments. She found her family. You lost part of yours." Sam told him.

"I didn't lose anything." Jake told her.

"Maybe that's what hurts the most."

Jake let out a frustrated sigh. "I just don't know what to do. I don't know why I'm even acting like this. I know it's stupid and it's a classic case of 'notice me', and I really don't care about getting attention. I just..."

"You want a relationship with Jason." Sam stated. "And you will do anything you can to get your parents and Jason to know that."

"It's stupid. I can't have a relationship with Jason. For two reasons. One, my mom says so. And two, he's not my father."

Sam smiled softly. "Well, one, I won't object to anything that makes Elizabeth mad. And two, there's something you need to know about Jason. He's always put more stock in the family you make rather than the family you're stuck with. Just look at his life and you'll see that. Michael, Carly, Sonny. Me. My daughter. Jake, if you want to be in Jason's life...you don't have to give up that chance just because you aren't related anymore."

"I should go." Jake replied.

"Jake, you don't have to leave. You can wait for Jason." Sam tried to get him to stay.

"I gotta go. You don't have to tell Jason I was here." And with that, he was out the door.

The knock on Maxie's door interrupted their girl talk, but Maxie grudgingly answered it anyway. When she came face to face with Jason, she called over her shoulder, "J.D., your bodyguard is here."

J.D. made her way over to the door and smiled when she saw Jason. "You want to take a walk with me?" He asked her, and she slowly nodded her head.

They walked for a while in silence, J.D. not knowing what to say, and Jason never being much of a talker, but they enjoyed each others' silence. "How's Sam?" J.D. asked, breaking that silence.

"She's good. Misses you."

"I think I miss her, too." J.D. admitted. "And I miss you, too."

"You didn't have to run last night. I'm sorry we made you feel like you did."

"I'm not ready to live with Sonny. I don't know that I ever will be. I want to be with you and Sam. And, part of me does want to get to know Sonny, but--"

"On your terms, not his?" Jason finished for her.

"Yeah."

Jason nodded his head. "Sometimes Sonny means well. He's changed a lot since Michael died. I'm not trying to defend him, but he was once more than just my boss. We were once better than friends. We were like brothers."

J.D. sighed. "I know he's my father. But I also know that...you were supposed to be my father."

Jason looked down. "Maxie tell you that?"

"No. Sam did."

"The situation was different then." Jason tried to explain to her.

"I know." She told him. "But...you were the first person who gave me a home. Maxie and Spinelli brought me to you when they found me after I had robbed them, and even so you took me in, no questions asked, not that I would answer any. You didn't even want to, I know you didn't trust me. But you let me stay anyway. And you helped me. You took care of me. And all of that before you found out who I was."

Jason looked over at her. "Because Sam asked me to." He smiled, not able to help himself. "And I guess something about you made me want to. Though I hope you put your thieving ways behind you for good?"

"Yeah, but..." She lowered her head. "I did take a few things when I first started staying at your house."

Jason shrugged. "Keep it. They're just things."

"I think you should have this one back." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace she had stole what seemed like ages ago. "I found it in your room one night."

Jason stared at the star necklace J.D. held in her hand. He slowly took it from her. "That...that was Sam's. I gave it to her a long time ago."

"You should give it back to her, then." J.D. told him with a shrug.

"Thank you." He told her.

She stopped short while they were walking, and he paused, wondering what had made her do so. Looking up, he saw that they were now standing in front of the cemetery. "The last time I was here, I came here with Sam to see her baby's grave on her birthday. My grave. My birthday."

"Come on, let's go back to Maxie's." He told her. He had done what Sam wanted, he had checked on her and made sure she was okay, which she was. He and Sam both knew she would come home to them she was ready, he wouldn't push her.

She didn't follow him though, instead she made her way into the cemetery, with him following closely behind her. She picked up her speed, practically running, and when she got to her grave marker, she stopped, her breath caught in her throat. Jason stood behind her staring at it with her, unsure of what to do. It made him sick to his stomach, and not many things made him feel that way.

She stared at it for a moment. Tears filling her eyes. "Sometimes I think that this is right, you know? Lila is dead."

"J.D..." Jason started, not sure what to say.

"I shouldn't complain. Right now everything is so much better than it ever was at Manny's. And I feel lucky, I do. I am lucky."

"You shouldn't have to consider yourself lucky for getting away from Manny. He should have never had you."

"But he did, and now I'm where I should belong. So why does this feel so hard?" She looked up at Jason. He didn't answer. He didn't know how to. "I really want to punch this thing. I want to kick it and punch it."

Jason shrugged. "So do it."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but when he didn't waiver and didn't laugh as if it were a joke and she realized he was serious, she kicked it. And then she kicked it a second time. And when she realized she was going to hurt herself if she kept kicking it as hard as she was, she turned and picked up the shovel that was on the ground nearby and began hitting the grave marker with it as hard as she could.

She began to break down as she hit it, finally letting the nerves, the fears, the stress off as she cried and hit the grave marker. And when he figured she had enough, Jason wrapped his arms around her, picking her up off the ground and away from the grave as he held her.

She started to calm down, but he continued to hold her. "Do you feel better now?" He asked her.

"I want to come home tonight. To you and Sam. And I want to try and start over for real. I want to get to know Sam. And you. And I want us...I want us..."

"To be a family?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She responded, and he placed a kiss on her forehead. Sonny aside, he knew that he, J.D., and Sam would be the family they've all always wanted.


	32. Chapter 32

_Another update! woop! enjoy. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jason made his way back to the Penthouse after dropping J.D. back off at Maxie's. He had wanted to take her home to Sam right away, but she had insisted on going back to Maxie's until after the benefit dinner, something about Maxie having a dress and wanting to do her makeup and hair and how Maxie would be upset if she didn't get to be the one to do it. Jason just rolled his eyes, and did as J.D. wanted.

He walked through the door and stopped short when he saw her. She was making her way down the stairs, fidgeting with a necklace around her neck, trying her best to clasp it. She was so caught up in trying to get the necklace on, she didn't notice Jason as he stared at her. "God, you're beautiful." He said, and she looked up at him and smiled.

It was true. She was beautiful. A simple elegant white dress that fit her body slimly. He could see every curve, and her cleavage was something that took his eyes almost immediately. Her hair was pulled out of her face, and after admiring the rest of her body, his eyes moved straight to hers, gleaming with all the desires he was feeling. "Can you help me put this necklace on? It's rebelling against me." She laughed.

He nodded his head, and she handed him the necklace and turned around so her back was to him. She held her hair out of the way, and waited for him to put the necklace on for her. "Jake came over before."

"He did? Is he okay?"

"No. He's not Jason. He loves you, and he feels like now that it's out that you aren't his biological father, he has to forget about loving you." She told him. "And I know you feel the same way." She added.

Jason sighed. "I don't know what to do, Sam. Elizabeth is her mother and she wants him safe. I have to respect that."

"Maybe you should try respecting the boy you considered your son for thirteen years instead." She told him, and he didn't say anything, letting her know that he wanted to drop the topic at hand. "Did you go see Lila? Is she okay?" She asked as he discretely shoved her necklace in his pocket, pulling out the one J.D. had given back to him instead.

"She's hurting. Fighting a lot of different emotions. But she'll be okay." He smiled. "She wants to come home tonight."

He wrapped her star necklace around her neck and clasped it shut, and she let go of her hair and turned to face him. "She's coming home here? That's great! That makes me so happy. I really want to work on building a strong relationship with her, and I want you to be able to, also. And--" She paused. It took her a moment, but the necklace she had given Jason was a long necklace. The one he had put on her fell right above her chest. "...This isn't my necklace."

"Yes. It is." He told her, and she bought a hand up, gripping around the familiar star shape she hadn't felt in years.

"Jason..." She didn't know what to say, and she wasn't sure of what she was feeling. It felt like it belonged on her neck. It felt like, after years, she was finally home again. Memories came rushing back hard, good ones, bad ones. It was an overwhelming feeling. "I can't believe...you kept this?"

He looked down, not wanting to lie to her and say that he had kept it safe all these years. While he had kept it, he had forgotten all about it until J.D. had gave it back to him. "Your daughter, she's a little sneaky thief that girl. I don't know if I can count all the little stupid things she swiped the first couple weeks she stayed here. She found your necklace, took it. She gave it back to me tonight. And it felt right, you know? Like a sign. It was your daughter, you being pregnant with her, that brought us together in the first place. And her existence in our lives finally brought us back together again."

His eyes met hers, and he saw that they had tears in them. Without saying a word, she walked over and wrapped her arms around him, and he held her tight for a moment before she brought her lips to his. "I love you, Jason Morgan."

"I love you, too." He replied.

"Now, go get changed! I can't wait to see you in a suit and tie!" She smiled as he groaned, and when he walked passed her to sulk up the stairs, she slapped his butt. "God, I can't wait until I can get you out of it."

He laughed, and went to get ready for the banquet.

Maxie had dressed J.D. in a simple white dress that had belonged to her sister, Georgie, at one point, and that had fit J.D. perfectly. "You know, you really do have your mother's hair. You should try actually blowing it out every once in a while." Maxie said, after she had finished with J.D.'s hair.

J.D. looked at herself in the mirror. She had never dressed up so much before in her entire life, and if she were being honest, she'd admit that she would definitely rather be in her jeans and a t shirt than the dress. But she wouldn't tell Maxie that, not after Maxie was so excited with out everything turned out. "Maxie, what do you think about Sonny?"

"What do you mean?" Maxie asked. "He's a professional thug who is so far stuck up his own ass, he doesn't really notice anyone else around him, let alone their feelings. You've seen how he screwed up Kristina and Morgan. And we're going to a banquet tonight for the son he got shot. You don't need my opinion on Sonny. His track record speaks for itself."

"He's my father though."

"Jason's your father."

"I know. It's just...at one point Sam loved him, right?" J.D. asked. "Or at least she thought she did. And Jason and him were best friends. And Kristina loves him, she does stupid things to get him to notice her. I just guess I don't understand it, that's all."

Maxie shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, kid. Maybe at one point in time Sonny was an okay person who had somewhat good intentions. But things changed. And now Sonny is like the scum of the earth. Just don't bother trying to get inside his head. It's an empty void anyway."

"Maximista! It is I, the Jackal!" Spinelli called out as he entered Maxie's home. "Wow, both you and the Young Thief look absolutely stunning this evening." He commented. "But if the two of you are well prepared, the Jackal thinks it's best we get going. Wouldn't want to be late."

"At least not more than fashionably late." Maxie said.

"Are you ready to go honor your late brother?" Spinelli asked J.D.

"Yeah. Let's go."

The banquet was held at the Metro Court, and all family and friends of Michael and his family, as well as the doctors and staff at General Hospital, were invited to attend. It was to raise money for head trauma research and to honor and remember Michael, and everyone had showed up to show their support. Carly and Morgan were the first ones to arrived, followed by Sonny. Jax had showed up to show support and give money in honor of his once step-son. Ric had even come back in town for the event, spending the day with Molly before attending the banquet with her as his date.

Patrick Drake and Robin made their way into the Metro Court, Emma immediately running over towards Molly, glad to have someone to hang out with while her parents mingled at yet another hospital benefit. Nikolas Cassadine had declined his invitation, but wrote out a hefty check. Dante Falconeri put aside his resentment and differences with his father to show up and show support for his brother, mostly attending to be there for Morgan, the boy he had bonded with back when his plan was to take down Sonny from the inside. Alongside Dante was Lulu Spencer. Even the Quartermaines' put aside their differences to make an appearance.

Jason and Sam made their way in hand in hand, and as they walked passed everyone, Sam took note of the way Port Charles seemed to immediately gossip, realizing that she and Jason had finally found their way back to each other and wondering where the resurrected daughter that they had all heard about was. And as they made their way over to one of the tables, Sam had never been more happy.

Elizabeth and Lucky, though had been fighting the entire week leading up to the banquet, decided to just drop it and do their best to act like a normal family as they made their way into the Metro Court, Jake sulking behind them, still full of anger and bitterness and all of the adults in his life and not wanting to go anywhere near the banquet. Cam and Kristina had decided to go together, leaving Jake alone with his parents, and he wanted nothing to do with them.

He stopped when they made their way to the entrance to the banquet hall being used. "Jake, come on, we're going inside." Elizabeth said, her patience with Jake wearing thin.

"I'm not coming in." He told them. Word by now had spread to everyone that Jake Spencer wasn't Jason's son after all, after it had only been revealed a few years before that he was Jason's. And although he was much younger when everyone had found out he was Jason's, it was something he had already known, and when they had stared at him, and talked about him, which they did, it didn't bother him as much.

But now they would stare at him and talk about him again. Only this time, he wasn't sure he would be able to take it.

"Elizabeth, let him come inside when he is ready." Lucky urged her, and she glared at him, before entering the banquet hall with a huff, Lucky following closely behind her.

"The Jackal hates being late. I bet we are the last of the guests to arrive." Spinelli complained as he, Maxie, and J.D. made their way in.

Maxie crossed her arms and glared at him. "Spinelli, I wanted to look nice! We never get to go out to such fancy dinners and I wanted it to be special." She said and put her hands around his waist. "You know, I'm glad that J.D. is going home tonight. And now that Jason and Sam are back together, maybe you should think about spending every night at my house, permanently."

J.D. rolled her eyes. "Don't be gross around me." J.D. spotted Jake sitting awkwardly by the door to the banquet hall. "You two go on in. I'll meet you in a minute." She said, and Maxie and Spinelli made their way, arm in arm, into the banquet. "Hey." She said, taking a seat next to Jake.

"Oh, hey. I heard you talked, but I forgot." Jake said, taken by surprise. "You going in?"

"I will. Are you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Everyone is going to stare at me. I don't know if you heard, but I'm not actually Jason's kid."

"Neither am I." She replied. "What does that matter?"

"It matters a lot. And everyone is going to be talking about me when I walk in. And staring. And I don't really like that kind of attention."

"I don't think anyone would. Except maybe Kristina." J.D. said, and Jake let out a small laugh. "If it helps, I bet everyone will stare at me, too. I was dead, remember?"

Jake nodded his head. "Yeah. I remember."

"Maybe, if we go inside together, we won't know which one of us everyone is staring at." J.D. suggested.

"They'll be staring at both of us." Jake pointed out.

J.D. shrugged. "Yeah, but I can pretend they are only staring at you, and you can pretend they are only staring at me."

Jake thought about it for a second. "Fine. But as far as I'm concerned, you're the bigger freak. I mean, paternity in Port Charles changes all the time. How often do people rise from the dead?"

J.D. considered it for a moment. "Here? I bet it happens more than one would think." She held out her hand for him to take. "So what do you say?"

He took her hand in his. "Okay. Let's go in."

Maxie and Spinelli greeted Jason and Sam as they made their way over to the table they were at. "Hey Jason, Hey Sam."

"Stone Cold, Fair Samantha."

"Hey guys, where's Lila?" Sam asked them, looking around. "She came with you, right?"

Maxie nodded her head. "She stopped out front to take to Jake Spencer."

Jason's eyes flickered over towards Sam for a minute, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought. Jason's son was talking with her daughter. Sam liked that they got along. . "There are the two youngins now." Spinelli observed, pointing towards the entrance where Jake and J.D. walked in, their hands locked together.

"Everyone is definitely staring." J.D. observed.

Jake looked around, noticing the same eyes staring at them she did. "Yeah. Why do you have to be such a freak? Everyone is totally only staring at me because they're staring at you." He laughed.

J.D. laughed with him. "I think it's totally the other way around."

When Morgan spotted J.D., he immediately made his way over to her. "J.D. Lila! J.D. Lila!" He called out, and she turned to face him. He engulfed her in a hug, which she returned, and Jake smiled, leaving the brother and sister alone as he found Cam and Kristina and went to sit with them.

"You don't have to call me both names, Morgan, you can pick one." She explained to him.

"I'm glad you came. Michael would have liked you here. Come on, you should come look at the picture collage me and my mom put together. You can see pictures of Michael. And you need to meet Dante, too." He pulled at J.D.'s arm, and she smiled as she followed him.

Sam watched her daughter from a distance, giving her the space she knew J.D. would need at the brother she never got to meet's banquet. "Morgan seems to have really taken with J.D. He loves her like a sister already. And by the looks of it, she already loves him, too." Jason commented. Sam smiled, and Jason knew what she was thinking. "Reminds you of you and Danny, doesn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It does."

When Kristina saw her brother and sister making their way over to the picture collage, she excused herself from the table with Jake and Cam and made her way over to them. "You know, Michael had the life I always wanted." She said to J.D.

J.D. turned to look at Kristina. "You aren't yelling at me anymore?"

"Dad loved Michael, you know. And everyone knew it. And I resent Michael sometimes when I think about it."

"Didn't Michael get shot because of his closeness with Sonny?" J.D. asked her.

Morgan began to squirm a bit, and J.D. and Kristina both knew that they were upsetting him. "Look, we can talk about my issues at another time. At the end of the day, I loved Michael, I still love Michael. And I'm sorry I took out my frustrations on you. It's not really your fault. I may resent you and be jealous of you at times because that's who I am and I can't help it. I know it's sick. I'm jealous of my brother who got shot and my sister who was held prisoner almost all her life, but I can't help it. Just know that I always will love you, no matter if I'm in a bad mood or not."

"That's pretty much the strangest apology I've ever gotten, and you should probably talk to Sonny about your issues, but it's okay. I love you, too, Krissy."

"And I love you both, too." Morgan added.

"Let's take a look at these pictures." Dante said as he made their way over to his brother and sister, and the sister he had yet to be introduced to. "Hey Morgan, Kristina."

Morgan engulfed Dante in a hug and Kristina gave him a weak smile and wave. "Dante! You have to meet J.D. Lila, she's our sister, too." Morgan explained, and Kristina couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh, just J.D. is fine." J.D. told him, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, Lulu told me about you, obviously hearing it from Maxie. I'm Dante. And I guess I'm your oldest brother, that is, that we know of." He said, and Kristina again laughed.

J.D. couldn't help but laugh either. "I guess I'm your youngest sister."

"For now." Dante added with a wink. "Obviously our father likes his women able to pop them out like PEZ candy."

"Ew, Dante. On that note, I'm going back over to Cam." She said, shaking her head.

"Wait! Wait, everyone get together!" Carly said, making her way over to the four of them. "Come on, I want a picture of all Michael's brothers and sisters together to add to the collage."

"Do we have to, mom? I don't want to take a picture." Morgan said.

"Let's just do this, you know your mom is a stubborn, though beautiful," he added when she glared at him, "woman who likes when we do as she says."

Kristina rolled her eyes. "Let's just humor Carly and do this quickly so I can get back to the table."

"You mean back to Cam." J.D. responded.

The four of them smiled as Carly took the picture.

The banquet went on smoothly, everyone mingling and getting along for the most part, those who tend not to get along just avoiding each other all together. Though most of the people in the room had beef with other people in the room, for the sake of honoring Michael, they all did their best to get along. Or at least just avoid each other and not fight.

J.D. made her way over to Sam and Jason's table, taking a seat in between Sam and Spinelli. "Having a good time?" Sam asked her daughter.

"Yeah. I mean, I never knew Michael, but it's cool looking at pictures. And listening to Morgan and Kristina talk about memories of him. And I got to meet Dante. He's okay." She said with a shrug. "Kristina said he's a cop. That he almost took down Sonny's organization, but backed off for Morgan's sake."

"Yeah. He and Sonny never got along though. Sonny almost had him killed until he found out Dante was his son. Long story short, they stay away from each other for the most part. Dante comes out to these things for Morgan." Jason explained to her.

"I'd do anything for Morgan, too. No matter how I feel about Sonny." J.D. admitted.

Sam smiled. "You're a good sister."

"I like being a sister." She said with a smile.

The waiters had all cleared up the dinner plates, and the D.J. stopped the soft music. "This dance goes out to all the parents out there. Moms, get your sons out there to dance with you, and fathers, you all take your daughters onto the dance floor." He said, and the slow, sweet music began to play.

Patrick Drake was the first on the dance floor with his daughter, Emma, who practically dragged him out there. Carly and Morgan followed them. Ric and Molly made their way out, and Cam even grudgingly agreed to dance with Elizabeth when Jake had flat out said no. Though Elizabeth had tried to yell at him into dancing with her, he had fought back and left the banquet to wait outside for when they were ready to leave, too frustrated to be anywhere near his mother.

"Will you dance with me?" Kristina looked up, shocked to see Sonny standing there, a hand held out to take hers.

"Really?" She asked, a smile on her face. Sonny nodded his head, and she took his hand as he led her to the dance floor.

J.D. watched as the kids and their parents all danced with each other, and turning to face Jason, she surprised him with a question. "You want to dance with me?"

"Me?" He asked, looking over at Sam, and then back at J.D. "Are you sure?"

J.D. nodded her head. "Yeah. Will you?"

He looked over at Sam, who nodded her head assuringly. "Okay." He said, and he got up as J.D. took his hand and they made their way to the dance floor.

Dancing with Sam's daughter, his and Sam's daughter, felt right. And though he hated dancing, and though he rarely showed emotion in public, he smiled. A genuine smile. And he loved every single thing about that moment, with Sam's daughter, their daughter, in his arms.

But like all good moments, this one wouldn't last.

"What the hell, Jason. It was one thing when Sam was knocked up and we needed someone to take care of her and my child while I sorted things out. It's another thing to just come in years later and decide to be her father." Sonny said, ending his dance with Kristina as he made his way over to them.

"Sonny, really? You want to do this here? At your son's banquet dinner?" Jason asked, and J.D. looked over at Kristina, apology written all over her eyes as Kristina's filled with hurt. "Finish your dance with Kristina."

"No, I'm done." Kristina said, shocking Sonny. "Go ahead. Chase after J.D. until you take her away from a father who will love her and then you can treat her like you treat me. As if I don't exist." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Kristina, come on..."

"Forget it, Dad. I'm done. I can't keep doing this." She said, and turned to run away, making her way out of the hall and into the girl's bathroom, wanting to be left alone. Not knowing whether or not to chase after her, Sonny stood his ground, and when Cam saw that no one was going to, he got up and followed where Kristina had went to make sure she was okay.

J.D. stared at Sonny. "Aren't you going to go after her?"

"Kristina will be fine. I have a relationship with her. It's you I want one with."

"You don't have a relationship with Kristina. You have her doing everything she can to get your attention no matter what that does to her. You really want a relationship with me? Get one with Kristina first. Then we'll talk." J.D. said.

"Don't talk to me like that." Sonny said.

J.D. shook her head. "I need to get out of here." She said, as she turned and made her own way out of the banquet dinner, leaving Sonny and Jason to each other. Sam had made her way over to the scene.

"Sonny, I never intended on taking you place. All i intend on doing is caring for that girl. And nothing you say can stop me from doing that." Jason said.

Sonny was about to fire back, but Carly interrupted him. "I swear to God, Sonny, if you ruin one more second of this banquet, I'll kill you. I will rip you limb from limb and kill you. This is about Michael, not about any of your bullshit. And I swear to God, Sonny, I'm not kidding, I will kill you if you ruin one more second."

"Fine." Sonny said, walking passed Jason and back over towards his table on the other side of the room.

Carly turned to the D.J., who had stopped the music once the friction between Jason and Sonny had started. "You, I'm playing you to play music. Now let's get this banquet going." She said, and the music began to play once again, as everyone else did their best to go back to enjoying themselves.

"We should go find Lila." Sam said, turning to Jason.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, let's go before she wanders out alone too long."

"Jason, Sam!" Maxie called over, as she and Spinelli went back over to them. "Want us to go over to your Penthouse to see if she went straight there and you two can check around town first?"

"Yeah, Maxie, that'd be great. Thanks." Sam said, and the four took off to catch up with J.D.

In the girls' bathroom, Cam stood awkwardly in front of the stall Kristina was in. "Krissy? Can you please come out? This bathroom is too clean and pink for me. I'm uncomfortable." He said.

She opened the stall door and came out, her face stained with runny mascara. "I hate him."

"No you don't. If you did you wouldn't care so much." Cam pointed out.

"I just want him to care, you know?" Kristina admitted. "That's all I want. Someone to care."

Cam made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I care. Does that help?"

She laughed. "Strangely enough, it does."

Jake sat outside in his parents' car waiting for the benefit to be over, not wanting to be in the room anymore, completely fed up with his mother. He knew he was probably being childish, but he didn't care. He needed to not be around anyone. He needed to be alone to think.

He watched as the doors to the Metro Court suddenly swung open, and J.D. made her way out alone. He watched her curiously, wondering what had happen to make her seem like she was making an escape herself.

He slowly got out of the car deciding to follow her, attempting to catch up to her.

J.D. needed to get away from Sonny, away from Kristina, who was probably mad at her again, and away from everyone. She felt bad that her existence had ruined Michael's banquet, which in turn probably upset Carly and Morgan, and she just didn't want to deal with another fight between Sam, Jason, and Sonny.

She slowed her pace as she got further from the hotel, until she stopped all together to catch her breath and let out a frustrated groan. She was about to start walking again when suddenly she felt a hand grab her around the stomach, an hand slapped hard against her mouth muffling her screams. "Shhh little girl. You got to play out in the real world long enough. I think it's time you come back home." Manny's voice sent a bone chilling feeling down her body, and she fought hard against his grip. "I've been watching you, you know. I would have had you the other night had that blonde friend of yours not squashed my spider."

With his free hand he held up a jar, a spider inside of it. "Lucky for us, I have one left. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use it, but you don't seem to want to come home with me. He opened the lid of the jar, holding it upside down so the spider fell onto her shoulder. "Easy now, little girl. It'll all be over soon."

She felt the spider bite her, and she tried her best to continue to scream. But quickly enough, every inch of her body began to feel weak, her breathing slowed, until everything around her went black.


	33. Chapter 33

_Another update! woop! enjoy. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jake's eyes grew wide and he froze. One minute he was trying to catch up with J.D., the next he watched as some guy grabbed her from behind and had done something to make her grow limp. He hid in the shadows as he watched as the man who grabbed her snapped his fingers, a couple other men showing up to help carry J.D. and place her into a parked car.

He didn't know what to do. The car started, and Jake stayed where he was, frozen. Should he run to the police? Call up Lucky? He wasn't sure if getting the police involved was the right move when it came to anything involved in Jason's life. Should he run to find Jason? What if these men had J.D. buried in a ditch by then?

As the car started to pull away, driving slowly to seem unsuspicious as possible, Jake did the only thing his brain could decide as the right choice. He followed them.

Jason and Sam made their way into the Penthouse in a hurry. "Maxie, tell me J.D. is here?" Sam asked as she entered through the door.

Maxie and Spinelli were sat on the couch. "No, you still haven't found her?" She asked. Sam ignored her and hurried over to the phone. "Should we go out and look for her? I should go over to my place, maybe she's there."

"Sam, who are you calling?" Jason asked her. Sam held the phone, not exactly sure who she planned on dialing. "Everyone is still at the banquet."

"Then I'm calling the police, Jason, I can't have her out there on her own. You know it's too dangerous. You know there's still a threat out there." She replied, not able to bring herself to mention what the threat was; not able to mention Manny's name.

Jason let out a deep breath. "Okay. Call the police." He knew he had to put their little girl ahead of his dislike for the PCPD. "What about Sonny?"

"No. Don't call Sonny. Not unless we have to." Sam said sternly. "You'll see, it'll be fine. She'll come walking in here any minute and I will just come off as the paranoid mother, and there's no reason to get Sonny involved for that."

Jason looked from Sam over to Spinelli. "Hack into the security cameras around town."

"The Jackal will of course oblige." He responded, immediately beginning to type away on his computer.

"I bet we are all just being paranoid. You know, she's probably out like, knocking over a 7-11 or something. Or maybe she called Kristina and they are bitching about their dead beat mobster father. Or maybe she's just out for a walk." Maxie said, trying to convince herself as she also avoided the elephant in the room, but she couldn't do it anymore. "Or maybe that psychopath has her, Spinelli, search faster!"

"Maxie!" Jason yelled at her.

"No, Jason, she's right, and I really hope we're just being paranoid, but I need her home." Sam said, and Jason completely agreed. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. "Lucky? It's Sam. Look, J.D. is out wandering around somewhere, I don't know where she is, and I need you to go out looking for her or send a car to go find her because she cannot be wandering alone at this hour."

Maxie took her lead from Sam. "I think I'll call Mac."

Suddenly, the Penthouse door swung open, causing all of them except for Jason to jump. "Dad! Dad, I need to talk to you!" Jake called out as he ran into the room, not caring about the fact that he had referred to Jason as "dad" out of habit.

"Jake, I promise I'll focus all my attention on you in a bit, buddy, but I really need to find J.D. right now, she could be in trouble." Jason tried his best to explain to Jake, not wanting the boy he still considered a son to think he was picking J.D. over him.

"Lucky is going to have them send out a squad car to look for her." Sam said as she got off the phone with him. Jason nodded his head and ran over to the couch where Spinelli was frantically searching surveillance cameras, as Maxie spoke with Mac on the phone, asking him to tell all his men to keep an eye out for the young girl.

"No, you don't understand, I know where J.D. is!" Jake yelled out, finally getting the attention of all the frantic adults. "Some guy took her! You need to go get her!"

Sam dropped the phone that was still in her hand as her face went white. "Who has her, Jake?" Jason asked. "What did he look like?"

"I don't know, it was dark, but he had a ton of tattoos all over." Jake told him, and Sam thought she would pass out. Jason felt fear rise in his body.

"Spinelli, I need you to search faster!" He commanded. "And I'm calling Sonny, Sam, we need him and his men as backup." Sam nodded her head, her mind moving frantically as she tried to process what was going on. Manny had her baby. Again. "We need to figure out where he took her so Sonny and his men and I can go in and get her."

Jake, again, did his best to get the attention of everyone in the room. "I know where he took her! I followed them!"

Jason turned and stared at the boy. "You followed them? Jake, do you know how dangerous that was? Where did he take her?" Jason asked, fear rising even more in his body at the thought that Manny could have just as easily taken Jake along with Lila.

"An old warehouse at the end of Prosperity Street, next to the pier down there. He took her into the basement. I watched them through the windows until I couldn't see them anymore, and then I ran right here." Jake explained.

"Did he see you?" Jason asked him.

Jake shrugged. "I don't...I don't know. I turned around and ran straight here after I followed them to the warehouse."

"Them? How many people were with Manny?" Jason continued to question Jake, getting as much information as possible. Sam stood by them eagerly for the answers, as Maxie held onto Sam's hand, trying to give Sam as much support as possible.

"I don't...there were two men helping him get J.D. into the car before they drove there, I don't know how many are inside, though. The two men drove off, they didn't stay." Jake explained. "That's all I know, I don't know anything else." He said before Jason could ask another question. "You need to go help her, though. She was unconscious or something, he did something to her."

Jason pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. "Sonny, Manny has J.D. over on Prosperity Street. A warehouse by the pier. Send your best guys over. I'm on my way now." He said, and hung up before Sonny could have time to argue or say anything. "Jake, you stay here with Maxie, Sam, and Spinelli in case he did see you, I have guards outside, I need you safe."

"Woah, what do you mean stay here with Sam? I'm coming with you." Sam told him.

"No, Sam." Jason said simply, as he got out his gun, watching Jake in his peripheral vision as he loaded it.

"Don't you dare, Jason. Don't you dare try and place an order with me and expect me to follow it. I'm in this as much as you are. This is personal, and I'm not gonna stay home like a good girl and prepare dinner or do laundry or something like I'm some sort of Stepford Wife and hope you and my daughter come home alive. So give me a gun and let's go bring her home!" Sam told him, determination in her eyes.

Jason paused for a moment, looking at her, before slowly nodding his head and handing her the gun he had loaded, as he pulled out another one. "Let's go then." He opened the Penthouse door and Sam lead the way. He turned back to look at Jake, realizing that this was the first time Jake had ever seen Jason in action, pulling out guns and making calls to Sonny. But to his surprise, he didn't see anything in Jake's eyes that he expected to. No fear of him, no disappointment or shock. Just a look that told Jason his son wanted him to bring J.D. back by any means necessary. "You stay here with Maxie and Spin and don't leave. We'll be back and we'll have J.D. with us." Jake nodded his head as he watched Jason and Sam leave.

In the warehouse, sight was slowly coming back to J.D., and she fought with everything she had to try and get her body moving again. She needed to get out of here. She knew for the moment she was helpless, and that being helpless could put her and everything she loved in danger.

She couldn't move her mouth to speak, and no matter how hard she tried to move her arms and legs, they wouldn't budge. The spider's venom was still floating around her body, and she knew that it would take time before it would be completely gone. But until then she would fight to get her heart rate back to normal and her body moving enough for her to fight back. She couldn't stay helpless. Her life depended on it.

"Little girl, I am please to inform you that we had a little spy follow us. But don't worry, I let him run back to tell on me. I do enjoy visitors. I'll have to come up with some fun party games to play when they show up." He tormented her, knowing that she couldn't do anything but listen to him speak.

She was laid out on a table with him looming over her, and it brought back memories of how things used to be. She realized now, more than ever, how good Sam and Jason and Maxie and Spinelli and almost everyone she had encountered in Port Charles was to her. How different things had been for her since going there. How much she loved it all, how much she loved them all. Especially Sam. And now more than ever she wanted to be back with her family.

"How about a game of hide and seek? I'm sure the family you were so insistent on finding is on their way here, we shouldn't really waste time before we set up for the festivities." He picked her up off of the table, and although she tried with every fiber in her body, she couldn't move. She couldn't even struggle against him. She felt trapped in her own body as he moved her from the table and over to a bigger metal table in the corner of the room.

It took her a moment before she realized it wasn't another table, it was a box. And as he placed her inside of it, she tried as hard as she possibly could to scream, failing miserably as he closed a lid over the top of it and she was surrounded with nothing but darkness.

Jason and Sam had made their way to the warehouse before Sonny, and they wasted no time. Jason made sure that Sam would at least let him take the lead, wanting to protect her as much as he wanted to save Lila, but knowing that Sam had to be a part of this.

He kicked down the back door to the warehouse and made his way in, keeping low and keeping his gun held out in front of him, with Sam and her gun right behind him. "Jake said they went to the basement." Sam said, and Jason nodded, as he searched for the stairs to take them down there. "Jase" Sam said, motioning her head over towards a lit hall way, the only working lights visible in the entire warehouse.

Jason slowly made his way over to the hallway, peering down and seeing that the lights led down to the end of the hallway, and then turned to light up the hallway on the right, not the one on the left. "It's like a path." Sam commented.

"Or a trap."

"We need to follow it, Jason, we don't have much of a choice at this point." Sam replied, and Jason couldn't argue with that. Making sure she kept behind him but where he could see her in his peripheral, as he slowly walked down the lit hallway.

They turned the corner and down the second lit hallway, following the lights as they turned, finally coming across a lit stairway, leading down into the basement. "He knows where coming. He's leading us right to him."

"He must have seen Jake."

"Or he planned it so Jake or someone would follow him."

"So what, we're just a part of his game now?" Sam asked and Jason turned to face her. "What do we do?"

"We go down." Jason replied. Sam nodded her head as he turned to go down the stairs, but she grabbed his arm and spun him back around, placing a kiss on his lips. "You ready?" He asked her.

"I'm ready. Let's get our daughter back and kill that son of a bitch."

They made their way down the stairs, following the lit hallway when they got down there around a corner and up to a closed door. Jason motioned for Sam to get behind him as he backed up and kicked the door in.

They both entered with their guns raised ready to shoot anyone who got in their way. They weren't expecting to come face to face with Manny sitting on what looked like a metal table in the back of the room, a lighter in his hand. "I've been expecting you."

"Where is she?" Jason asked, his gun pointed straight at Manny's head. He made his way into the room, Sam following him, until she slipped on something on the floor and almost fell right on top of Jason. She steadied herself as she looked on the ground at what she slipped on.

"Sweetness, please be careful. Wouldn't want you falling and breaking one of your pretty legs." Manny smiled at her.

Sam smelled the air, still looking at the liquid that was all over the floor. "Gasoline?"

"Where's Lila?" Jason asked him. "Tell me where she is or I will put a bullet in your skull right now."

Manny shrugged. "Cut the bullshit and tell me where my daughter is!" Sam yelled, losing her cool completely.

"How about we make this interesting. For me at least." Manny said, getting up off of the metal table and playing with the lighter in his hand. "I'll be nice enough to leave the room. You two can discuss amongst yourself how to best go about finding her."

"Don't you move!" Jason yelled as Manny pushed a button against the wall behind him, the wall opening up to another stairwell leading up. "Don't you move or I will kill you right here right now!"

"Tell us where my daughter is, now!" Sam yelled.

Manny laughed. "No, sweetness. We always play by my rules." He flipped open the lighter in his hand, and as it fell to the floor, the gasoline immediately catching fire and the fire spreading around Jason and Sam quickly, he made his exit out of the room and up the stairs. Without wasting time, Jason and Sam made their way after him, making it out of the room before the fire got too bad.

Jason was hot on Manny's tail, Sam a bit behind him, but before she could get too far up the stairs, she heard a muffled sound come from the burning room they were leaving behind.

Her hesitation was long enough for Manny and Jason to ascend the stairs and go out of sight, and she turned to begin following them to catch up, when she heard the muffled sound again. This time she could distinctly tell it was a scream.

Her heart rose in her chest and she immediately made her way back into the fire filled room, doing her best to duck down under the rising smoke and make her way through without getting burned by the flames. "Lila! Lila are you down here!" She called out. When she was answered by more muffled screams, she knew that her daughter was in that room somewhere, and she had to find her before the flames did.

"Lila! Sweetie, where are you!" Sam called out, and this time when she heard the muffled scream of a reply, she was next to the big metal table Manny was sitting on, that she now realized was a box. It was hot to the touch from the flames that surrounded it, but she ignored the pain that immediately hit her hands as she pushed back the lid, her daughter immediately jumping out of the box and into Sam's arms. "Lila! Oh my God, are you okay? Oh, God."

"The spider, I couldn't move, I couldn't call out until now, I tried as hard as I could to tell you where I was." J.D. cried as Sam held her.

"We need to get out of here, come on." Sam said. "Go that way, up those stairs." She instructed her daughter, who did her best to avoid the flames as they made their way over to the stairs Jason and Manny had went up.

Sam silently prayed that Jason had caught up with Manny and killed him, before Manny could do anything to Jason. She watched as her daughter carefully made her way over to the stairs, when she heard it. The sizzling sound that she knew wasn't a good one.

Turning around she saw it. The bomb that Manny had set to explode the moment the fire would reach it.

She looked back over to her daughter, who had started her way up the stairs and turned back to face Sam, wondering why she was hesitating. Sam bit her lip and took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do for her daughter to get out of this alive.

J.D. was already out of the room. Knowing she had no time, she slammed her hand against the button Manny had pressed to open the wall that lead to the stairs, causing it to begin to close. "Sam, what are you doing! Sam, no!" J.D. called, making her way frantically back down the stairs, the wall completely closing before she could get to Sam. "Sam!" She called out frantically.

Sam searched around the room, tears filling her eyes and fear filling her body as she tried to find some place in the burning room to take cover before it could explode.

From behind the wall, J.D. could feel the impact of the explosion, sending her flying back into the stairs, the wall breaking down from the imact. "Sam!" She called out, not knowing if there was any possible way Sam could have survived.


	34. Chapter 34

_Hahaha forgive me for last cliffhanger. I figured I'd hurry with another update so I wouldn't leave you all hanging so long, so here you go! enjoy._

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Jason wanted Manny dead. And this time, he would see to it that there would be no possible way he could survive.

He had done this all before, numerous times. Hunted and killed. It was what he was trained to do. It was his profession. He had killed many men before, and he would probably kill many more. The only difference was, this time he wanted it more than he had ever before.

Manny had hurt his family. He had stole their baby and kept her for sixteen years of her life doing only God knows what to her. That on top of everything he had done to them in the past was more than enough to give him a one way ticket to Hell. And Jason wanted to be the one to send him on his way.

Manny had tormented Sam long enough. Jason was going to put an end to this once and for all.

He followed right on Manny's tail as they ran up the stairs of the warehouse. The whole place had an eerie quiet loom to it, and Jason couldn't understand why Manny was alone. No men that could be seen, no security. Just him and an empty warehouse. But then again, Manny must have wanted to do this alone. Jason and Sam were, and always had been, the pawns in Manny's game of life.

Jason heard the explosion behind them, but his vision was too focused on the running target to care. Manny burst through another big metal wall, pushing a button to get it to open, and this one led to the roof of the warehouse. Not too far behind him, Jason made his way out on to the roof with him.

Manny went as close to the edge as he possibly could, turning around and smirking at Jason, who held his gun pointed right between Manny's eyes. "You seem overly confident." Manny commented, and Jason didn't move. "You think you won."

"Where is Lila." Jason spoke with a firm command.

Manny shrugged. "Where is Sam?" He smiled.

Confused, Jason was suddenly aware of the empty air he felt around him. He couldn't feel her presence.

He turned around and fear wrapped around his heart and squeezed at it. He hadn't seen Sam since they ran out of the burning room. He was too focused on Manny to turn around and make sure she was behind them as they ran. And then there was an explosion--

A gun was fired as everything went Manny's way. Jason's temporarily distraction at Sam's whereabouts was perfect. Sam had always been Jason's weakness, and Manny knew this. And he couldn't have planned anything to work on remotely as good as it worked out on its own.

The pain was the first thing Jason felt, and he knew he made a fatal mistake. He brought a hand up to his stomach and felt the blood. Focusing his attention back at Manny, he saw the smoking gun in his hand. Manny had outsmarted him.

He tried to fight everything that his body wanted him to do. He needed to fight. He couldn't go down, not like this. Not with both Sam and Lila missing. Not at Manny's hands. The pain was intense, and it was getting harder to breathe, but he would not go down. Not like this.

"Oh, Jason. It looks l'm actually the winner of this game."

Jason's knees buckled underneath him, his body giving in to the pain as he fell to the ground. He lifted his arm to aim his gun, but Manny was quick. He shot at Jason's arm, hitting it near his wrist, causing Jason immediately to drop the gun and groan out in pain. "I'm actually disappointed in you. I thought this would be much more of a challenge for me. I applaud Sam for going missing, wherever she is."

Jason's gun wasn't far from him, but his body was hurting, and he just couldn't reach for it. The bullet wound in his stomach was bleeding badly, and it burned to breathe. Everything in his body wanted him to black out, he could feel his body shutting down. But he couldn't let it. He wouldn't let it.

"I did intend for this to be a better challenge for me. For us to have this battle, in which of course I would win. But I think I'll just put you out of your misery now. And then I will find my girls and the three of us will have a lot of fun. Without you." Manny said, getting close to Jason and bending down to be more at his level.

Manny stood up and walked around a bit as he talked, enjoying the sight of Jason helpless on the ground. "They aren't your girls." Jason managed to get out through gritted teeth. "They're mine. And if you touch either one of them, I swear to God, I'll--"

"You'll what?" Manny asked him. Jason liked this. He just had to keep Manny talking long enough for him to get his bearings. Long enough for him to get the strength he needed to reach for his gun. "Check mate, Jason. You lose." Manny straightened his arm, gun pointed at Jason between his eyes.

Jason used every ounce of strength he had in his body to reach for his gun to no avail. This was it. Manny had won.

Jason closed his eyes, fighting the pain that was soaring through his body. When he opened them, he was surprised to see his gun was no longer in front of him, but a pair of legs were. "Take the gun off of him." He heard a voice say. He looked up.

J.D. stood there, her face tear stained but determined. Her eyes were narrow and stone cold as she stared at Manny, Jason's gun in her hand pointed directly at him, her finger on the trigger. "Little girl, you're playing with the big boys now. Why don't you scurry along and let me and Jason finish this man to man."

J.D. didn't waiver. "J.D., just give me the gun." Jason strained himself to say. The last thing he wanted was for the young girl to have to do this. This wasn't her fault, none of this. None of her life was her fault. And as far as Jason was concerned, she was innocent. And she deserved to stay that way. "I'll take care of this, J.D., just give me the gun."

She wasn't stupid. She didn't need to examine Jason to know that he was in rough shape. He could barely talk, let alone aim a gun. "Fine. I didn't want to eliminate you, little girl, but if you won't make this easy, fine. You and Jason will both fall." Manny smirked.

"Shut up!" She commanded him, tears pouring from her eyes. "You won't live through this. I can't let you live through this. Not after everything you've done."

"J.D., don't. I can, you don't have to do this." It was getting harder and harder for Jason to breathe.

"You killed my mother!" She screamed at him, her whole body shaking with rage and grief. Jason's eyes opened wide and he felt a stronger pain in his heart than the rest of his body could even compare to. "You took her from me. You took everything from me!"

Manny's only response was laughter, and Jason fought everything in him to do something. Anything. Manny had to pay. He had to pay for everything. And Jason needed to make sure he paid. For Sam. "Then shoot me." Manny said, and Jason looked over at J.D. carefully, studying her face. "I'll even make this easier for you." He put his gun down on the ground and walked up to J.D.

He wrapped his hand around the gun in hers and pulled it up, placing it against his temple. "Go ahead, little girl. Shoot me."

Jason didn't know what game Manny was playing, but he didn't like it. He didn't like the sight of the young, broken girl with a gun pointed at the man's head who ruined her young life. "J.D., just give me the gun. You don't have to be the one to do this." Jason said.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my mom." J.D. said, her eyes narrowing once again. "And for what you did to me."

"Lila, put the gun down and back away."

The voice caught J.D. dead in her tracks. Jason, too. She turned around to find Sam standing there, her own gun pointed at Manny. She was in bad shape, Sam. Covered in dust and burns, more than half of her exposed skin was raw and bloody. She looked bad, and that's only from what J.D. could see from where she was standing. She didn't even know how Sam was able to stand or walk looking as bad as she did.

Jason was relieved. Beyond relieved. He took the moment to close his eyes and breathe. He trusted Sam, she would get them out of this mess. And then he would get her to a hospital. And both she and J.D. would be okay.

"Lila, back away and lower the gun." Sam commanded a second time, and J.D., shaking as the tears continued to spill from her eyes, listened to her. Backing away, she was next to Jason, as Sam stepped forward towards Manny. "Lila, turn around."

She only hesitated for a moment before listening to Sam and turning around to face the other direction.

"Sweetness, nice to see you are okay." Manny said with a smirk, but Sam didn't care to listen to anymore. She didn't give him the satisfaction of talking to him, and she didn't give him the satisfaction of saying anything else to her. She fired her gun.

The sound of the gun shot caused Lila to flinch, and she sunk down to her knees on the ground next to Jason. He used his good arm to reach out and grab her hand, holding it tight as she cried.

Sam stepped closer to Manny, who lied on the ground, blood pouring from his head. It wasn't good enough for her. She needed to make sure he was dead this time. She fired the gun again.

The door to the roof burst open and Sonny made his way through, a bunch of his men with him. He stared at the sight in front of him for a moment before making commands. "Search the warehouse for anyone else! Anyone you find, take out!"

Sam shot another bullet into Manny's head. Sonny ran over to her. "Sam, Sam he's dead." He said as he pulled her away from Manny and taking a good look at her. "You need to go to the hospital. Jason, too. He's dead, Sam, my men will take care of the body." He told her and she just nodded, not peeling her eyes off of Manny, afraid beyond belief that he would just walk away from this, from death, a second time. Sonny motioned for a couple of his men who remained behind to take care of the body. "Hurry up, I'm calling an ambulance. I want his body gone before they get here." Sonny told them, as he pulled out his phone to dial for the ambulance.

Sam looked over towards her daughter, who was knelt down on the ground crying, Jason doing his best to hold and comfort her as he lied in a pool of his own blood. "Jase." She breathed out, and Jason looked over at her, nodding his head to let her know that he would be fine. She knew he was in pain, she could tell he was in rough shape, but she trusted him to be okay. Breathing a small sigh of relief that Manny was dead and her daughter was safe, she gave into her own pain, passing out in Sonny's arms.


	35. Chapter 35

_Well, here's the next update. i hope you enjoy it. we're almost done with this fic, and it's been a long, though wonderful, run for me to write. i'm off to attempt to update Wizard of Mob. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

The doors to General Hospital's ER burst open, as every nurse and doctor and even patient in the area turned to look over at the commotion that was making it's way in. Max and Milo made their way through the doors first, Jason's arms around each of them as they carried him in, barely conscious and bleeding all over the floor from his bullet wounds. Robin was the first to call out for a stretcher, and as it made it's way out, Sonny made his way in with an unconscious Sam in his arms.

"Make that two stretchers!" Robin called out as she helped Max and Milo with Jason.

The second stretcher made its way out as Patrick took Sam out of Sonny's arms and laid her on it. "What happened?" Monica yelled as she came into the area and over to Jason. J.D. was behind all of the commotion, not sure of where to go or what to do.

Jason could barely stand the pain, but he looked up at Monica to attempt to give her an answer. "Manny. But don't worry. He's dead." He told her before she could worry. "Sam, Lila. Make sure they're okay."

"You just relax, Jason, and keep your strength." Monica told him, and looked over at Robin. "I'll take him from here." She said, and she followed the nurses as they wheeled Jason into a room.

Patrick was talking out loud to himself and the nurses as he examined Sam before instructing them to wheel her into another room. "Wait, what's going on, is she going to be okay? I want to come, I want to..." J.D. could barely form a sentence as she tried to follow them as they wheeled Sam away.

"I need you to keep calm and stay back here." Patrick instructed her as he went into Sam's room and closed the door.

"I think you should get checked out, too." Sonny added and turned to face Robin. "Can you take her into a room and make sure she's okay? She's been through hell tonight."

J.D. shook her head adamantly. "No, I want to be with Sam, I don't want to go anywhere."

Robin put a comforting hand on J.D.'s shoulder. "Sweetie, Sam and Jason are in really good care, and you know that they would want to make sure you were completely safe and happy above everything." J.D. didn't look convinced. "Come on, it'll be better than waiting out here."

J.D. looked over at Sonny. "I'll come get you if anything happens, okay? Just go get checked up." Sonny told her. She nodded her head, and Robin led her into a hospital room to get checked out.

Jason struggled to sit up in his bed, but Monica pushed him right back down. "Jason, we've been through this time and time again. Every time you are in this hospital. Just stay still and let me do my job and then I will let you walk out of here even though it's my opinion that you should rest here for at least a night. So please, just lie down and let me tend to these wounds before you bleed out all over the place and don't do anyone any good." She scolded him.

"Is Sam okay? I just need to get to Sam, okay?" Jason told her.

"Sam is with Patrick right now, and you know that Patrick is one of the best, if not the best. If you let me finish stitching you up, I will go check on Sam's condition myself." She told him.

"And Lila? Is she out with Sonny? She's not comfortable with Sonny, can you make sure she's not alone and is okay?"

"Jason, if you don't sit still and let me fix you, you won't be able to look after her. So please, for one more moment, stay still." Jason grudgingly complied, and Monica continued to tend to his wounds. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up. "I know you won't go into detail with me, but I need to know. Is that little girl finally safe?"

Jason's eyes hardened at the thought of Manny reigning terror on his family. "Yes. She is finally safe."

"You really care about her don't you? Lila. And Sam for that matter." Monica asked him.

He nodded his head. "They're my family."

Monica smiled and brought her hand up to touch Jason's cheek. "I'm glad you all finally found each other." She stood up. "Now go ahead. I know you aren't going to listen to me and lie here and rest, so go ahead and check on your girls. I think Robin took Lila into a room to check her up and I'm not sure which room exactly, but Sam's in the room two doors down from here."

"Thank you." Jason said as he slowly stood up from the bed, ignoring the pain, and he left the room to go find Sam.

Robin explained to J.D. what she was going to do before she did it, but J.D. already knew what had to be done. It seemed like it was just yesterday that Manny had kidnapped them all the first time and she was brought here with Monica for a check up. "I'm just going to shine this light in your eyes, I need you to--"

"Follow it with my eyes not my head. I know." J.D. interjected quietly.

Robin smiled softly at her as she shined the light. "You've obviously been through the drill before. Doesn't really surprise me. Jason and Sam and Sonny aside, all the corinthos kids have spent their fair share of time in here. I guess you're just catching up."

"Robin, is that really necessary?" Sonny asked as he made his way into the room.

"I'm just kidding, Sonny." She said and turned to face J.D. "Everything seems okay, why don't you just rest for a moment and I'll be back in a bit to check you out of here." She said and left the room, leaving Sonny and J.D. alone together.

Awkward silence set in almost immediately, and Sonny began to pace the room a bit. He made his way over to the hospital bed and sat on the end, as J.D. sat up indian style next to him. "When I got Jason's call, you know, I was...I'm really glad you're okay. And that the bastard is dead and...I was worried."

"Why?" J.D. challenged him.

"I realize I haven't given you the attention I should have when you were staying with me. And that I haven't shown you that I am interested in being your father. And the thought that Manny might have taken you away again, well...I just don't want to miss out on the opportunity to get to know you ever." Sonny tried to explain.

J.D. studied him with her eyes for a minute. "You look sad." She commented.

"Carly left me. Took Morgan with her. She packed right when we got home from the benefit." He told her. "And Kristina isn't talking to me. I messed up. And I really just want to work on making it right."

"I don't think wanting to make something right and actually making something right is the same thing."

Sonny's brown eyes met J.D.'s. "I'm going to make this right."

J.D. wasn't sure if she believed him at all. "Morgan and Krissy really love you, Sonny."

"And you?"

"I don't even know you."

"And I don't really know you. But I think we can fix that, if you're willing to give me another chance."

She wasn't sure. "Kristina and Morgan need you more."

"I'm going to make up with Kristina. And continue to be there for Morgan. But right now I'm sitting here with you." Sonny told her. "Maybe you, me, and Kristina can get a bite to eat together one day soon. What do you say?"

"I have a couple of conditions." J.D. said.

Sonny shrugged. "Okay. What are they?"

"I want you to focus on Morgan and Kristina first. They need you more. Especially Kristina. She really needs your attention right now." J.D. began. "And I need you to back off of Jason. He cares about me and I care about him."

"I'm gonna be honest. I don't like that you've found a father in Jason and you can barely carry out a conversation with me." Sonny admitted. J.D. gave him a look. "But I said I was willing to try, and if that's one of your conditions to let me, then fine."

"Fine."

"Fine." More awkward silence set in. "Do you want to talk about all this Manny stuff?"

"No." J.D. responded. "I actually just want to be alone."

Sonny nodded his head in understanding. "Okay. I'll go check on Jason and Sam for you." He said, and left her alone as he walked out of her hospital room, closing the door behind him.

J.D. laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes tight. She pulled her legs into her stomach and wrapped her arms around them. Letting the weight of the day take over, she cried herself to sleep.

Jason sat by Sam's bedside refusing to leave. She was bandaged up and on more pain killers than he knew existed, and now they were just waiting for her to wake up. He held her burned and bandaged hand lightly, not wanting to inflict any pain with his touch, and waited.

Manny was finally dead and his reign ended. J.D. was safe and at home where she belonged, and he and Sam were back together. Injuries aside, once Sam woke up he would have everything he could ever ask for. He would have love. He would have family. He would have happiness. All he needed was for Sam to open her eyes.

"You better not be bleeding all over my hospital room." She spoke before she opened her eyes, and all he wanted to do was hold her and never let go when she finally did and he looked right into her brown orbs.

"God, Sam..." He wanted to hold her without hurting her, and he didn't know where he could touch. But she eased into him and held him instead, careful not to put any pressure on the burns she had gotten all over her body. "When J.D. said...I thought you were dead and my whole world ended for a moment before you appeared on that roof."

"Manny?" Sam asked as she felt a tear from Jason's eye hit her forehead. She looked up at him and wiped it away, smiling softly waiting for him to answer her.

"He's gone, Sam. He's finally gone."

With a sigh of relief, Sam couldn't stop her own tears from falling. "And Lila? Where is she?"

"Robin took her into a room to get checked out. I was going to go get her, I just don't want to leave you."

"I'm okay Jason." She told him, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. "Go get our daughter."

He bent down to capture her lips in his. "God, Sam. I love you so much."

"You swear he's gone?" She asked, the fear not completely gone.

"He's gone, Sam." Jason confirmed. "He can't hurt our family ever again. I won't let anyone ever hurt our family again."

"It's really over?" She asked him.

"It's really over."

A soft knock woke J.D. up from her sleep, and she looked up and smiled at Jason making his way slowly into the room. He was holding his side, obviously still hurt from the gunshot wound, but he was alive and walking around, which was a welcome sight for J.D. to see. "You okay?" He asked her.

"I am. Are you?"

"I am."

"Sam?"

"She's hurt, but awake. And Patrick seems to think she'll be fine." J.D. let out a deep breath in relief. "She almost died saving me."

"She loves you."

"I've never...she almost gave her life just for me. I never even knew anyone could love me that much. I knew it had to be better out there than what living with Manny was like. But I never expected to find a home with Sam. I never expected her to love me that much." J.D. told him, sitting up and looking into his blue eyes. "I never expected to find you, either."

Jason smiled. "Why don't I take you to go see your mom?"

"Okay."

She stood outside of Sam's room for a moment before walking in. She didn't know why she was so apprehensive about it, but she was. She took a deep breath and opened the door, and the moment she saw Sam sitting there, smiling at her, all apprehension went out the window. "Hey you." Sam greeted her warmly.

J.D. walked over to Sam's bed and got into it next to her. Sam wrapped her arms around her daughter and let her cry. "I love you, Lila." She whispered.

"I love you, too." J.D. told her for the first time.

Jason watched them from the window on Sam's door, wanting to give mother and daughter their space. "Jason!" A voice called out, and he turned around to find Spinelli, Maxie, and Jake making their way over to him. "Is everything okay? Sam and J.D. safe? What on earth happened!"

"Stone Cold, we were beyond worried."

"Sam is pretty beat up, but she'll be okay. And J.D. is okay." He told them.

"And the guy who took J.D.?" Jake asked.

Jason looked down and met his eyes. "He won't hurt her ever again." He said, and Jake nodded knowingly. He looked over at Maxie and Spinelli. "J.D. and Sam are with each other right now, but if you want to wait, I'm sure they'll both want to see you two." They both nodded their heads. "Uh, Jake, can I have a minute alone?"

Jake nodded and they stepped away from Maxie and Spinelli. "I know what you're going to say and I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to do so I had to follow J.D. and the guys who took her. I didn't want her to get hurt and I didn't know what else to do. I ran to you once I could. I know it was dangerous, and I'm sorry."

"Jake." Jason stopped him from rambling. "I'm not going to scold you for what you did."

"You aren't?" He asked, looking at Jason with surprise and curiosity in his eyes.

Jason shook his head. "No, Jake. I want to thank you. You were brave and it's because of you that J.D. is alive and safe."

Jake didn't even know how to respond. "Are you proud of me?" He asked Jason, not able to hide the vulnerability in his voice.

"Jake, come here." Jason said, and for the first time in Jake's entire life, his father gave him a real hug. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't forced. It was a real hug full of love and gratitude.

Trying to hide the tears that were forming from his eyes when they broke their hug, Jake took in a deep breath. "I should get going. You know how my mom gets, she's probably worried sick and poor Lucky and Cam have to deal with her, so I should get home. I'm glad I was able to help."

Jason shook his head, and Jake turned to leave. "Maybe you want to come by later in the week? We can talk baseball or something if you want."

Jake's face lit up. "Yeah. Okay." He said, and turned to leave.

Jason went back to Sam's room to find that Maxie and Spinelli had joined J.D. surrounding Sam. He watched them from the door for a minute as the four of them smiled and laughed with each other, despite all of the pain and all of the horror they had been put through, honestly looking happy.

Jason smiled as he opened the door to join his family.


	36. Epilogue

_Wow. So here we are. The last chapter of Superhero. I can't believe I finally finished it, i feel like i've been writing it forever hahaha. I hope you guys enjoyed this run, i hope i did a good job of entertaining you with it. And without further ado, i give you the last chapter of Superhero. _

* * *

**Superhero**

-x-x-x-

Epilogue

"You're so lucky you don't have to endure high school. It's seriously like the worst thing in the world." Kristina ranted as she and J.D. made their walk back from their late lunch at Kelly's. "I mean, half the teachers are just plain stupid. I mean, I know more than they do. And don't get me started on the girls in my grade. I swear half the time I want to slap most of them just for breathing."

A year after all the drama that resulted in Manny's death and J.D. finally finding a home and family, things were still looking up for J.D. She listened to her sister and best friend ramble on as they walked, opting to take the long route instead of the short one back to the Penthouse. "I think I'd rather be in high school. Maxie was rambling on and on about prom the other night. It sounds like it would be fun."

"Are you kidding? Trust me, you aren't missing anything. Besides, that tutor of yours is hot." Kristina commented. Though school would never be J.D.'s thing, and though she doubted she would ever follow Kristina's footsteps and apply to a college, let alone go off to one, Sam had seen to it that they found the best tutor they could to teach J.D. how to read and write well, and everything else she would need to know to at the very least get her G.E.D. Sam only wanted the best for her daughter, after all.

J.D. scrunched her face up in disgust. "My tutor is older than our dad, Krissy."

Kristina shrugged. "He's hot in that rugged old guy kind of way."

"If you're talking about Brad Pitt, I totally agree." The two girls turned at the sound of Cam's voice, as he walked up behind them. "George Clooney, however, totally not my type."

Kristina rolled her eyes. "And I thought all guys were your type." She smirked at him.

"Oh, was that a gay joke? How original of you, Kristina." He fired back.

"Brad and George who?" J.D. asked, and Cam just stared at her for a minute.

"Seriously, Janie, I get that life is starting to seem more normal for you, but you really should read up on your pop culture a bit."

Kristina elbowed him. "Seriously, Cam, you're incredibly rude like all the time."

"Oh, come on, Kris. Relax, she knows I mean no harm." Cam said, and offered a smile at J.D. to prove his point. "So what're you two doing out and about on this fine Wednesday afternoon?"

"On our way back from Kelly's."

"Lunch at school today wasn't good enough for you? Geez, Kristina. And I would think you'd want to watch that perfect figure of yours." He said, eyeing her up and down.

She smirked at him. "I didn't eat lunch at school today. We had plans to meet our dad at the Metro Court for a late lunch after school, but something came up, as usual with dad, and he called to bail. Since we were both starving, we decided to go to Kelly's."

"Your dad stood you up again?" Cam asked, concerned.

"It's fine." Kristina shrugged it off. "He had business or whatever. He didn't stand us up." Cam raised his eyebrow at J.D., who shrugged. "We really should get going though. I should get J.D. home, and you know how my mom gets if I'm not home doing homework by a certain time."

"Actually," Cam stopped her before she and J.D. could turn to leave, "I was wondering if I could talk to you? I was actually on my way over to your place."

Kristina looked over at J.D. "Go ahead, I should probably head over to Sam's office anyway. See if she has any work for me to do." J.D. assured Kristina. "I'll see you two later."

"See you later, Veronica Mars." Cam called after her. She turned to look at him with a confused look on her face. "Seriously, Janie. Pop culture. Tell your tutor to throw that into the curriculum."

She rolled her eyes as she walked off, leaving Kristina and Cam alone together. "So what's up?" Kristina asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"I was just looking for someone to talk to, and you've, surprisingly, proven to be a good friend." Cam shrugged, and Kristina waited for him to continue. "Uh, my mom and dad finally decided to split for real. My dad moved out, and both Jake and I decided to live with him instead of our mom."

Kristina's eyes opened wide. "Oh my God, that's huge. How's your mom handling it?"

"I think the flame between her and my dad blew out long ago, so I don't really know how she felt about him moving out. Maybe more relieved than anything. I've seen her eyeing up my Uncle Nikolas, which is pretty gross if you ask me, but to each his own." Cam paused to make a disgusted face. "I think she expected me to want to live with my dad. I mean, she sure as hell wasn't happy about it, but she and I really never saw eye to eye. Not in years anyway. Lucky never actually legally adopted me though, so I mean we're working out the paper work for that now, but I think in the end this'll work out best for everyone."

"What about your brother?" Kristina asked him.

"This past year has been a bit of a roller coaster for Jake. What with the whole paternity thing and all. He's grown up a lot, and I mean, I think it surprised the hell out of all of us when he said he wanted to live with our dad, too, but it really shouldn't have. Our mom has a lot to make up to Jake. She sheltered the kid so long, he's finally realizing everything he's missed out on." Cam explained.

"Like Jason."

"Well, yeah. Among other things. Our mom never was the perfect mom this town painted her to be. I love her, but it's just better this way." Cam continued. "I mean, she wants to fight this, but Jake and I are old enough to make our own decisions. I don't think there's anything taking this to court will do for her, and I don't think she really wants to take it to court anyway. But it'll be better, in the end. After everything is all settled."

"It's okay to be upset though, Cam." Kristina said, putting a comforting hand on his back. "You can just...be upset if you want. It's still gotta be hard. And I'm really sorry."

"Thanks." He told her honestly. "And I'm sorry your dad stood you up again."

"Thanks, but I'm over it." She told him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "What! Don't look at me like that. I am. I mean, it still hurts, don't get me wrong. But I mean, I'm happy now I guess. J.D.'s a good friend. And Molly and I have been getting along a lot lately. And, God help me, I have you. Having my dad's attention just isn't as important anymore I guess."

"I'm glad, Kris." Cam told her with a smile. "And I'm glad I have you, too."

"Me too." She responded breathlessly when she realized how close to each other they really were.

"Yeah." He breathed, the moment suddenly becoming intense.

"Yeah."

Before either of them could say anything else, he gave into temptation and crashed his lips onto hers. They broke the kiss after a moment and just stared at each other, before Kristina turned around. "I should go. Homework. My mom. You know." She said, as she quickly began to walk away.

Cam laughed. "You can fight it, Krissy, but you know you can't resist!"

J.D. made her way into the McCall Jackal P.I. office just as Sam, frustrated, threw her latest case file across the room. Barely dodging out of the way of the flying file, J.D. turned to face Sam with a raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing the case isn't going as smoothly as you hoped?"

"Oh, Lila, I'm sorry." Sam said, running a hand through her hair. "I just can't piece the puzzle together on that one. But I'll figure it out. How'd tutoring go? And lunch with Sonny?"

"Well, tutoring was okay I guess. I think if I spell receive wrong one more time, I might drive the tutor crazy. But the whole I before E thing except after C gets confusing still I guess." J.D. explained.

"I think I still mess that rule up all the time." Sam joked. "Don't feel bad, you'll get the hang of this stuff."

"And Sonny cancelled on a count of business. But Krissy and I got lunch at Kelly's."

"Oh, jesus. He cancelled again? So much for being father of the year. How'd Krissy take it?" Sam asked, concerned for her younger sister.

J.D. shrugged. "I think she's okay. She's been better about it lately, which is good."

"And you?"

"I only really care because of Krissy. Sonny isn't my dad, I mean he is, but only by DNA."

"And I apologize about that." Sam joked, and J.D. laughed. "Well, since you're here, I assume you want to get to work? Including the file I threw at you, would you mind just going through and organizing our recent case? Spinelli went through them before looking for something, so obviously they are now completely disorganized and a mess."

J.D. smiled and sat down at the desk. "Sure." She said, as she looked through the file that Sam had thrown when she walked in. "Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked, as she typed away on one of their laptops, doing some research on a case.

"Who's Veronica Mars?"

Sam stopped typing and looked over at J.D. with a raised eyebrow. "Don't get any ideas, missy. You answer phones and file papers. Leave the rest of the work to me."

"I was just asking." J.D. laughed. "By the way, the puzzle piece you need to connect here is the cell phone. Both the man and women look like they have the exact same one in these two photographs." She pointed out.

Sam grabbed the two photographs from J.D. to examine them. "I bet you he or she bought the two phones so that they can reach each other secretly. I'll have Spinelli figure out a way to trace all the calls from the two phones. I bet they only call each other. And that's proof enough to bring back to the wife who hired us that her husband is being sketchy with this woman. Whether or not he's cheating is still to be seen." Sam smiled. "Good catch."

"Thank you."

Sam pointed a figure at J.D. "But seriously. Phones and paperwork. Nothing else."

"Nothing else." J.D. smiled back, knowing that it was probably not going to be true.

It was a cold day for the spring, and Jake wished he had put on a sweatshirt over his baseball uniform. He stood out in the outfield waiting for someone to hit the ball to him, but it didn't seem as though it would ever happen. He just needed to move a bit to get warm, that's all he really wanted at this point. But he loved the sport and he loved being part of the team, and it kept his mind off of the troubles that were happening at home.

His team was down by six runs, and they were in the last inning. All they needed was one more out so his team could get up at bat and attempt to win, but this seemed like the never ending inning. He sighed as he watched the kid up at bat swing and hit the ball. Line drive out to left field. Unfortunately for Jake, he was in the right field, and didn't even have to move to back anyone up.

His dad, Lucky, usually always came to the games to cheer him on, even if he wasn't very good at all, and even Elizabeth had come to most of them. But with the divorce, both Lucky and Elizabeth found themselves busy with arguments and divorce hearings, so today he was on his own.

"Jesus, let's hurry up and get this out! It's freaking cold!" Jake turned his head at the sound of his older brother's voice, and smiled when he realized that Cam had shown up. Better late than never was Cam's motto. He was never on time, but he was always there for his brother. Especially lately.

He rolled his eyes at his older brother's begging for them to hurry up, though he couldn't blame him. It was really cold, and this inning seriously wouldn't end.

"Jake! Jake catch the ball!" He heard one of his teammates yell, and he suddenly realized that the kid at bat had hit a fly ball right out to right field and was coming right at him. He braced himself, positioning his body under the path of the ball, and held his glove out as he waited for the ball to drop.

If he caught it, the inning would finally be over.

He felt as the ball fell into the glove, and was about to celebrate, when he suddenly realized it bounced out and hit the ground.

Crap. He missed it.

"Come on, Jake. Throw to second base! Get the out!" He froze at the sound of the voice and turned to face the bleachers. There, off to the side, stood Jason. And he was cheering for him. "Let's go, buddy!"

Picking the ball up from the ground, he turned and threw as hard and as fast as he could towards second base. The kid on second caught the ball and tagged the runner. He got the out.

Jake turned to face Jason, who was clapping along with the rest of the parents and fans in the bleachers, a big proud smile on his face for Jake. And even though he didn't catch the ball, Jake had never been so happy.

After what felt like a really long day at the office, Sam and J.D. made their way into the Penthouse. "What do you feel like having for dinner? I could cook us up something." Sam asked J.D. "Jason? You home?" She called, and when she was greeted by nothing, she assumed he wasn't.

"Uh, if Jason's not home, you think we can order something?" J.D. asked, and Sam turned to look at her. "It's just, you know, we haven't ordered in a while and...fine, your cooking is terrible and I'm just trying to find an excuse to get you not to make dinner."

Sam's mouth fell open. "I can't believe you just said that to me!"

"Please, let's just order." J.D. begged.

"No, I should punish you for saying mean things about my cooking and make you eat it!"

"That seems so counterproductive." J.D. commented.

"Fine." Sam huffed. "We'll order. But I'm choosing where from!"

"Chinese then?"

Sam put her hands on her hips. "You think you know me so well, missy."

"I know I know you so well." J.D. smirked back. "You are my mother, after all."

"Yes. Yes I am." Sam said, the feeling of being able to say that or hear it never getting old. She smiled. "Now go wash up!"

"Yes, ma'am." J.D. said, and made her way up to the bathroom to wash up, as Sam took out the chinese food menus to order out.

After she hung up the phone, the door to the Penthouse opened and Jason made his way in, followed by Jake. Jason made his way over to Sam and placed a kiss on her lips. She smiled. "Hey, you."

"Hey. How was your day?" She asked him.

"It was good. Got some work done, went to Jake's game." Jason told her.

She looked over at Jake. "Hey, Jake. How'd the game go?"

"We lost." He said with a shrug.

"Jake got the last out, though." Jason told Sam.

"You did? That's great!" She told him, and he smiled. "Hey, I just ordered enough Chinese food to feed a small country, so why don't you stay for dinner?" She asked him, as J.D. made her way down the stairs.

"Sure, let me just call home and let them know." Jake said.

"You should probably go wash your hands and stuff, too." Sam told him, and he nodded and hurried up the stairs to the bathroom which J.D. just vacated. She turned towards Jason and placed another kiss on his lips. "I'm going to go pick the food up, they take too long if we wait for them to deliver and I'm hungry." Her stomach growled emphasizing her point.

"You want me to go get it?" Jason asked her.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. Spend some time with the kids. I'll enjoy the walk to the Chinese restaurant."

"Be safe." Jason told her.

She smiled. "Always." She kissed him again before walking out the door.

He walked over towards J.D. who was sat on the couch. "Hey, I got something for you."

"For me? What for?" She asked him as he handed her a box.

He shrugged. "I saw it and thought you might like it."

She opened it to find a camera inside. "This is so cool." She said as she examined it. She looked in through the camera lens. "This is great. Thank you."

"I figured you could use it when you pretend not to get involved with Sam and Spinelli's P.I. work."

J.D. laughed. "Sam won't approve."

"She wants you safe, but deep down she is so beaming that you are finding the P.I. work so interesting. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will." J.D. told him. "I do like the P.I. work. I'm not good at anything else really. Writing and reading and math and stuff, it's still hard. But I know how to be quiet. And observant. And I know how to piece things together. I'm good at this. I like this."

"I'm glad. Just seriously, be careful."

Jake made his way down the stairs. "Woah, cool camera." He said, causing J.D. to smile again. "Hey, while we're waiting for Sam, you think we could play some pool or something? You said you'd show me how to shoot better." He asked Jason.

Jason got up off the couch. "Sure." He said, and the three of them picked up the pool cues and began to shoot around.

When Sam opened the door, she smiled at the sight before her. Jason and his two kids, smiling and shooting pool. She knew neither one of those kids were actually related to Jason, but it didn't matter. She could see it in all of their eyes. They were family.

When they took note of her, they all immediately came over to help her carry the chinese food in, and they sat on the couches and began eating. They all laughed as Sam tried to get Jason to eat the squid, and Sam laughed as she tried to teach both J.D. and Jake to eat with chopsticks, both of them failing miserably and taking a page out of Jason's book as they got up and grabbed real forks.

They sat around enjoying each others company, and as Jake began to explain the sport of baseball to J.D., Jason and Sam's eyes met. They lingered for a moment, as both of their minds flooded with the thoughts of what they wanted to do to each other in bed later that night. Leaning in, Jason placed a kiss on her lips, lingering for a moment as he brought his mouth to her ears to whisper. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She replied.

She thought back on all of the events that brought them to this point. All of the pain they went through, all of the difficult times, brought them to where they were right now. And seeing the smiles on her family's faces, she finally could appreciate that all of the pain that she had ever gone through was worth it to get to this point.

The end.


End file.
